A study by the Chennai Climate Action Group of six large and red-category polluting industries in the Manali and Ennore regions has revealed that none of them complied with air pollution norms.
These major polluters violated the prescribed norms for 59% of the year, said the report that analysed stack emission data for 2019, obtained from the Care Centre of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB).
The report said the thermal power plant cluster in Ennore operated in violation of the air pollution norms for 49% of the year and the petrochemical cluster in Manali 26% of the year.
Tangedco’s NCTPS Stage-I operated in violation of the air pollution norms for 58% of the year; NTECL, Vallur, 41% of the year; Madras Fertilizers Limited 77% of the year; Manali Petrochemicals Ltd. 9% of the year; the Tamilnadu Petroproducts Ltd. 24% of the year, and Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited 65% of the year, the report stated.
The parameters that were analysed were for sulphur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, ammonia, hydrogen fluoride and carbon monoxide.
Nithyanand Jayaraman, one of the authors of the report, “Poison in the Air: The Regulatory Black Hole Over Ennore Manali Industrial Zone,” said the issue should be looked at from a health perspective, and before more planned activities were permitted, the pollution load had to be brought down.
“We need a network of real-time pollution monitors that would help issue health advisories and provide better data to the government that can ensure better air quality,” he said.
In the report, Sharadha Narayanan, Kanishk Gokul and Karthik Gunasekar have urged the government to act against industries for having violated the norms. They have urged the government to put in place a time-bound plan to make industries compliant and shut down repeat offenders.
K. Karthikeyan, former member secretary, TNPCB, said the issue of ambient air quality had to be addressed since aerosols trapped viruses, leading to an increase in their load. A coal-based thermal power plant in the State had addressed the issue of sulphur, effectively, through desulphurisation and others must follow suit, he said. As far the refineries were concerned, the introduction of low-sulphur fuels under Bharat Stage VI norms had effectively reduced sulphur content in fuel. “What needs to be done is flare emission regulation as per U.S. EPA [ the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency],” he said.
