PALAKKAD: The State Pollution Control Board (PCB) has served notices on all 52 steel and allied industries in the district following complaints of pollution, encroachment of riverbanks and dumping of waste into the river.

The notice issued by the board's office here said that the companies were violating pollution control laws and the Government and the board viewed the pollution caused by the units very seriously.

The notice directed these companies "to prevent and control on a war-footing the fugitive emission; high concentration of dust and carbon particles in fugitive and stack emission; encroachment of land and water bodies by slag deposits; contamination of surface, sub-surface and ground water due to dumping of slag; pollution and aesthetic condition caused by sewage from open defecation and inadequate sanitation facilities of workers; and sound pollution.''

It directed the companies to implement 14 measures suggested by an Expert Committee constituted by the board under the chairmanship of the Additional Director and Zonal Officer, Bangalore, of the Central Pollution Control Board to evolve control measures for steel and allied industries. Based on the report of the committee, notice was given for implementing the control measures immediately.

The major control measures include providing secondary hood with wider area and higher suction over the induction furnace to reduce fugitive emission, particularly during tapping of furnace and to provide gas cooling system to bring down the temperature of the emissions caught through the primary and secondary hoods.

The companies were directed to provide primary and secondary pulse jet bag filter system for removing particulates from the emission coming out of the gas cooling system. It directed to provide minimum height of 30 m for the stacks of melting and re-rolling sections.

The board also directed the companies to furnish slag and ash as raw material to cement mills or be disposed in secure landfill constructed as per the specification of Central Pollution Control Board or to be sent to Common Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities (CTSDF) being set up in Ernakulam. Any slag kept pending disposal should be securely stored in a shed.

A.K. Surendran, district officer and environmental engineer of the board, said that all the steel and allies units had to implement the new control measures stipulated by the expert committee if they wanted to operate their units.

Meanwhile, Revenue authorities issued notices to four steel units - Kairali Steels, Sastha, M.A. Steels and Leebra - for encroaching the riverbanks and dumping the waste into riverbed.

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