Deteriorating air quality in Vizag sparks concern among MLAs

MLAs from Visakhapatnam have urged the State administration to take immediate and stringent measures to control the alarming levels of air pollution in Visakhapatnam city, particularly emissions from the Visakhapatnam Port and various industrial units.

Visakhapatnam South MLA Vamsi Krishna Srinivas said: “The rising pollution levels are a matter of serious concern. Thick layers of pollutants are visibly present in the air in the morning hours. It is alarming.” He noted that public agitations had already been held over pollution-related matters.

The MLA alleged that some berths operated by private agencies at the port were not taking adequate dust-control measures and were violating the prescribed norms. He said: “The loading and unloading of iron ore and coal were not being handled properly and alleged that vehicles transporting these materials were often not adequately covered with tarpaulins, resulting in dust being released into the atmosphere.”

Mr. Srinivas urged strengthening green belts around the port and industrial areas and suggested the administration examine the feasibility of developing underground storage systems for bulk materials. He also stressed the need to rise the number of closed godowns to prevent the dispersal of dust.

The MLA said that water sprinkling was being undertaken to control dust on roads, but went on that the dust settles on the tyres of vehicles and is carried to the other city roads, spreading pollution. He urged Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan to personally visit the port area and assess the situation.

Bheemunipatnam MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao stated that the port was only one among the several sources contributing to air pollution in Visakhapatnam and went on that industrial units, pharmaceutical companies and vehicular emissions were additionally a major source of pollution.

Referring to various reports, Mr. Srinivasa Rao claimed that the pollution levels in Visakhapatnam were worse than Delhi. Taking a dig at the deteriorating air quality, he said a person wearing a white shirt while travelling through the One Town area in the morning could find it turning black at the end of the journey as of the dust and pollution.

He stressed the need to strengthen the manpower and monitoring capacity of the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB).

Mr. Srinivasa Rao warned that if the administration failed to give adequate attention to the problem, residents could increasingly become apprehensive about the city’s environmental conditions in the coming years. He also suggested that future permissions for industrial projects should be linked to clear commitments on green-cover development and maintenance.

Meanwhile, Visakhapatnam West MLA P.G.V.R. Naidu (Gana Babu) also expressed concern over the deteriorating air quality and called on stringent measures to control pollution from various sources.

Replying to the concerns raised by the MLAs, Minister Nadendla Manohar remarked that the Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA) was instructed to install additional dust suppression systems, real time air quality monitoring stations and improve green belts in the port area.

He additionally said that cargo-handling operations, vehicle moment and road dust contribute to the deterioration of the air quality in the port area. The Minister also referred to the recent gathering held to review the city’s air quality.