PARADIP : Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) and district administration have taken steps to check pollution levels in Paradip. Nearly 600 community toilets will be installed in the town to avert pollution in Taladanda canal.
The OSPCB, in collaboration with district administration, conducted a meet on environmental management and pollution control in Paradip on Wednesday. Officials of different companies such as Paradip Port Trust, IOCL, Paradeep Phosphates Ltd, IFFCO and Esssar Steel among other industries participated in the programme. Collector Yamini Sarangi presided over the meeting.
Dust pollution along major roads leading to Paradip Port, release of domestic effluent into Taladanda canal water and open defecation were discussed at the meeting. OSPCB has identified five major roads in the port as miserable and stated that air quality, both in and outside Paradip port, has deteriorated considerably.
On the other hand, Taladanda, an irrigation canal which starts at Jobra and links river Mahanadi with Bay of Bengal in Paradip by covering a distance of 83 km, was being contaminated with domestic effluent. As the water of Taladanda is used for drinking purposes after treatment, the rise in pollution levels has raised serious concern among the locals.
It has been found that the 7-km stretch of Taladanda canal from Singitali to Atharbanki is considered a major water pollution area due to release of domestic effluents, debris and non-clearance of weeds. Open defecation is another area of concern.
Regional officer, OSPCB, Prasant Kumar Kar said an action plan prepared by OSPCB and district administration will be submitted to the State Government to finalise the pollution control measures and curb water pollution in Paradip.
“We have sought the intervention of PPT and Paradip Municipality to identify the locations to install community toilets from zero point to Atharbanki for the truck drivers, helpers and others to avert pollution in Paradip,” he added.