Biswabrata Goswami
Kolkata, 5 Sep: Industrial pollution is emerging as a serious public-health and livelihood threat across the Purulia-Bankura sponge iron belt, with villages increasingly surrounded by factories, farmers reporting crop losses and activists alleging a rise in occupational diseases, including silicosis.
“The situation in the Purulia-Bankura industrial belt is extremely critical. In several places, villages are virtually surrounded by sponge iron plants, leaving residents with little option but to consider leaving their homes. In the Raghunathpur zone, the air quality index sometimes crosses 200,” social worker Swadesh Priyo Mahato said.
The health impact has become a major concern. Mr Mahato said an investigation into occupational hazards in the ramming-mass industry found that around 19 workers associated with a unit had died of silicosis, while several others were affected. “At a recent medical board meeting, 16 cases were confirmed,” he said.
There are around 20 ramming-mass units across the district, according to Mr Mahato, who said the actual extent of occupational illness could be higher as comprehensive testing had not been undertaken.
Industrial pollution is also affecting agriculture, he alleged. “In some areas, people have stopped cultivation because they are unable to grow crops properly. Farmers are finding it difficult to sell paddy, while livestock rearing has also been affected,” he said.
The industrial belt covers areas including Raghunathpur, Neturia, Santuri, Para and Arsha in Purulia and Barjora, Mejia and Chatna in Bankura. Coal-based sponge iron or Direct Reduced Iron plants are high-pollution industries, with particulate emissions, coal dust, fly ash and industrial residues posing major environmental concerns.
Environmental activist and geoscientist Dr Biswajit Bera of Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University called for continuous, real-time monitoring of emissions from such plants. He recommended real-time PM2.5 monitoring at plant stacks and high-efficiency Pulse Jet Bag Filters or Electrostatic Precipitators capable of removing more than 99 per cent of particulate matter.
“Real-time monitoring must be installed on stacks to track compliance with environmental standards,” Dr Bera said. He also called for strict monitoring of industrial effluents and enforcement by the Central and State Pollution Control Boards.
Mr Mahato alleged that environmental safeguards were being diluted during industrial expansion, with hills cut, forests cleared and public hearings allegedly rendered ineffective in some cases.
He also claimed that financial penalties had failed to deter repeat violations. “Paying a fine appears to have become a substitute for compliance,” he said.
Dr Bera advocated stricter siting norms, including a minimum radial distance of one kilometre from residential areas and 500 metres from national or State highways.
Residents and activists are now demanding transparent public hearings, continuous emission monitoring and independent assessment of the health and ecological impact of industries operating across the belt.
