Urbanisation has turned on time bomb in state

Govt says a Special Purpose Vehicle, with a Rs4,000 cr fund for  building environment infrastructure, may defuse the crisis

On the eve of World Environment Day, Maharashtra has nothing to smile about.

According to the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB)’s State of Environment Report, indiscriminate urbanisation has resulted in increased bacteria content in water, depletion of ground water level and an unimaginable rise in air, water and noise pollution in the cities. Add to that the absence of scientific dumping of waste and you have an environmental time bomb waiting to explode.

The report, the first of its kind for the state, has been prepared by the MPCB for the state environment ministry over the past three years.

The challenge, according to the report, would be to form a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), which would draw an investment of Rs4,000 crore for building an environment infrastructure. A draft proposal for a SPV has already been submitted by the pollution control board to the state government.

DB Boralkar, outgoing member secretary of MPCB, who prepared the report with his team, said: “The report highlights the urgent need for steps to prevent further damage to the environment. Despite several initiatives, investors are still shying away from putting their money in the proposed SPV as there is no bureaucratic will to implement the proposal.”

The high level of noise pollution in the state figures prominently in the MPCB report. Despite repeated warnings by health experts that continuous exposure to noise levels above 80decibel causes hearing loss, no steps have been taken to curb the problem. Dr Rajeev Nerurkar, an ENT specialist, said:  “The damage to our ears in such cases is permanent. People with diabetes and a history of other ailments should use ear plugs or cotton buds to prevent hear loss due to high decibels of noise level. There is also a need for sound barriers along highways.  

Air pollution is another environmental hazard that is staring in the face of the state. With a whopping rise in the number of vehicles - 10.9 per cent between 2001 and 2004 - the suspended particulate matter (SPM) level has risen to a dangerous level in all the cities of the state. "Air pollution is causing havoc with the health of citizens," stated the report, quoting a KEM hospital study.  The study showed a rise in lung disease (inflammation of capillaries) from 1,479 in 2000 to 1,871 in 2004 due to air pollution. About 10 per cent of the residents of Chembur suffer from bronchitis and respiratory distress.

The suburbs also have to contend with industrial pollution, owing to the presence of 183 industries, apart from 32 stone crushers which emit S02 (109.82 tonnes per day) and total suspended particulates (tpd) of 11.86.
Though the forest cover has remained stable, growing encroachments in the national parks and illegal felling of trees are another cause for concern.