The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Call for coastal zone plan to regulate ship-breaking units

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 04, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Call for coastal zone plan to regulate ship-breaking units

By Our Special Correspondent

RAJAHMUNDRY, OCT. 3. A seminar organised by the Environmental Centre here on Sunday underscored the threat posed to the environment by industries being increasingly located in coastal areas.

Referring to the contentious issue of locating the ship-breaking industry near Kakinada , a scientist from the Nalamalai Foundation, Pranay Waghray, felt that this could undermine the ecological balance of the region. The lives and livelihood of people living in the coastal belt would be affected and the mangroves, marine life and corals here faced a danger of being destroyed by the proposed ship-breaking units, he pointed out.

Dumping of old ships

According to him, the developed nations, realising the hazards posed by the ship-breaking industry, were despatching their old ships to Asian countries for dismantling. Toxic substances emanating from the breaking up of ships would pollute the environment and cause serious health problems among the local people. The scientist called for a coastal zone management plan to regulate the functioning of the proposed ship-breaking industries.

Environmental scientist Sagar Dhara faulted the Government for failing to evolve an effective mechanism to monitor the impact of industries on the environment.

Biggest threat

The economic factors of the projects were being weighed but their fallout on the ecology was being pushed to the background, he said.

He said the biggest threat to human health was from sulphur dioxide emissions, which were estimated to be 6.5 million tonnes a day in the world and were likely to rise to a staggering 20 million tonnes in the next 15 years. India and China were more vulnerable to this threat as most of the power projects in these countries were based on thermal coal, he added. Environmentalist Pathanjali Sastry presided and scientist,V.V.Sarma, spoke.

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