The Odisha Pollution Control Board (OPCB) has found nothing objectionable in the functioning of the Vedanta Aluminium Limited in Lanjigarh of Kalahandi district.
An on- the- spot enquiry of the unit by Assistant Environment Engineer D Sethi observed nothing objectionable from the environmental perspective and no breach of the pollution standards.
He said the plant had been shut down from December 5, 2012 to July 11, 2013 due to scarcity of raw material (bauxite). There was no over flow from the ash pond, process water lake, dirty water pond and clear water pond. The engineer pointed out that there was no damage to the cultivated land around the red mud plant. Water quality of river, stream and tube well from different locations outside the plant and raw water reservoir remains within the acceptable limit of 5.5 to 9.0.
There is no seepage or leakage from the red mud pond and the unit has adequate boilers with ESPs. The unit has raised the dyke wall of ash pond by more than five meter using fly ash and soil. About 50 per cent of the work is completed and the remaining work of dyke height raising of ash pond will be started when the plant re-runs in full fledge, the environment engineer added.
After perusing the report, OPCB Member Secretary said no further action is necessary by the Board since Vedanta has satisfactorily complied with the environmental norms. The reply of the OPCB came pursuant to a direction by the Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) to enquire the environmental viability of the unit. The Commission took up the case after a petition was filed by rights activist and Supreme Court lawyer Radhakanta Tripathy, alleging environmental hazards caused by the Vedanta in Lanjigarh.
No comments:
Post a Comment