Mumbai: A study conducted in the Dahanu eco-sensitive zone (ESZ), in the Palghar district, has revealed that the region suffers from alarmingly high levels of air pollution. Air samples collected over a 24-hour period, from 12 locations in the area in January this year, showed PM2.5 levels between 117.9ug/m3 to 637.9ug/m3, a range that is between 2 to 10.6 times more than the 60ug/m3 threshold prescribed in the Centre’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
Such high levels of air pollution, the study suggests, are contributing to the woes of chikoo farmers in the region, whose crops are becoming increasingly vulnerable to a ‘black fungus’, causing the fruit to exfoliate from the tree before ripening.
The total area of Dahanu is about 2,45,000 acres of land, of which 32% is used for agriculture and horticulture. Of this, 6% of the land is used for chikoo cultivation exclusively. Farmers are reportedly facing a 40-50% decline in their yields over the last decade due to the occurrence of fungal diseases.
“The most affected were situated in the Northeast direction of the (Dahanu Thermal Power Plant). During monsoon, the North-Northeast farms experience the wind flow from Southwest to the Northeast i.e from the TPP side to the Chikoo cultivation fields. Coal fly ash and fugitive emissions from TPP are carried by the stronger winds and get stopped by the Kainad-Kosbad hill ranges. The trapped pollutants get settled on the trees present in this region. Once the Southwest monsoon kicks in, rain washes away the pollutants from the tree and flows down to the land area affecting the pH of the soil and making it more acidic. Thus, facilitating the incidence of Phytophthora fungal disease in the Chikoo trees. The infected Chikoo becomes black and exfoliates from the tree,” notes the study.
Prit Patil, a farmer and chikoo trader who grows crops on around 44 acres of land in close proximity to the TPP, said that this phenomenon, though first reported in the area more than a decade ago, has become exacerbated in the last three to four years.
“In 2004-5, I was able to produce 300 kilos of chikoos in a year. Last year, my annual yield was only around 125 kgs. The combination of high temperatures and humidity is perfect for this phytopthora fungus, and we start worrying about it every rainy season. The pollution blocks the pores of the leaves and prevents the fruit from getting any nourishment,” he said.
The study was conducted by two Chennai-based organisations, the Coastal Resource Centre (CRC) and the Health Energy Initiative (HEI), at the behest of the Dahanu Taluka Environment Welfare Association (DTEWA), a civil society organisation based in Dahanu.
Samples from all 12 locations also revealed a high concentration of silica dust, which is a component of coal ash and construction sand. The top three most polluted samples, in terms of PM2.5, were located 4-6kms upwind from the Dahanu Thermal Power Plant. Between 9 to 36% of the PM2.5 concentrations at these 12 sampling locations comprised coal ash.
Though India does not have any prescribed standard for silica dust in ambient air, the 12 samples analysed contained this harmful substance in excess of the standards prescribed by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. Air from four sampling locations also had high levels of heavy metals, namely manganese (a neurotoxin) and nickel (a carcinogen). An additional two locations also reflected high hazardous quantities of nickel alone.
“Possible sources of air pollution can be attributed to the increasing density of industries around Dahanu, that includes the Adani-Dahanu Thermal Power Project, industrial clusters in the north and south, construction of roadways and rail corridors, and increasing concrete built-up area,” the report notes.
Commenting on these findings, public health expert Dr Adithya Pradyumna, said that these findings are an urgent cause for worry. “At these high pollution levels of PM2.5, even healthy individuals would be affected, let alone vulnerable elderly and young children. PM2.5 is one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular disease (such as coronary artery disease and stroke) and respiratory disease (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Local people in these areas have surely been exposed to this hazard at dangerous levels, as the measurements have been made at their residences and places
of work,” he said.
Dr Pradyumna also emphasized that silica dust can cause permanent lung damage through silicosis, often leading to premature deaths among exposed individuals. The combination of silica dust, PM2.5 and trace elements like nickel and manganese, are likely compromising the respiratory and cardiovascular health of the population in Dahanu, despite being declared a ‘green zone’ by the state government in 1988.
Dahanu was further notified by the Centre as an ‘Ecologically Sensitive Area’ in 1991, and then as an ‘Ecologically Fragile Area’ in 1999, through amendments to the original notification. In 1996, the Dahanu Taluka Environment Protection Authority (DTEPA) was constituted as a quasi-legal, regulatory body to enforce the mandate of the notification.
Despite these steps, the area is surrounded by polluting industries to the west (the Dahanu Thermal Power Station), the north (Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation campus in Vapi) and the south (Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation campus at Tarapur).
A string of linear intrusions including the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train, Mumbai-Vadodara expressway, and the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor is also coming up in the area, and will further fragment the ecology, as per experts.