The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Directive to close down Cochin Alloys

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 13, 2005

Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

Directive to close down Cochin Alloys

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI, APRIL 12. The Local Area Environment Committee (LAEC) set up by the Supreme Court Monitoring Committee on Hazardous Waste today sent a clear signal to industrial units in Eloor and Edayar region that companies functioning without adhering to air quality parameters would be closed down.

In an inspection carried out today at Cochin Alloys Limited at Edayar, LAEC members found that carbon monoxide levels in samples collected from the stack in the unit were several times higher than the prescribed limit.

On the basis of its inference that air quality level was "poor," the committee has recommended that the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (PCB) immediately issue closure order to the company. PCB had not taken any action despite receiving a directive from the committee two weeks ago that the unit should be closed down for violating norms under the Maintenance of Air Quality Act.

Stack monitoring at the unit was carried out as part of the environment audit being conducted by LAEC in the industrial belt of Eloor and Edayar.

The chairman of LAEC, P.K. Ibrahim, said that the unit had been functioning without consent under the Air Act for the last two years.

In the inspection held at Cochin Minerals and Rutiles Limited on Monday, the committee found that the presence of particulate matter was minimal in the stack. The samples collected from the stack were sent to the regional laboratory of the PCB here.

Stack monitoring

At least 50 stacks with height ranging from 15 m to 75 m operate in the Eloor and Edayar industrial region. During the LAEC inspections conducted earlier had found that there was no arrangement for stack monitoring in most of the units.

The PCB had informed the committee that there are no trained personnel to climb the stack for monitoring.

The committee had reported that the PCB had not taken regular samples for the last two years.

The PCB does not have staff with experience in taking samples from stacks. It has been depending on reports prepared by private agencies on air quality in industrial units.

LAEC will continue to carry out inspections in the coming days. Samples from 50 stacks in the industrial area will be taken for analysis. The Deputy Director of Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board will reach Kochi on Monday to offer his expertise in stack monitoring.

The committee has decided to recommend closure of all units found violating air quality norms on the basis of sample tests.

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