Pollution from cement factories ‘suffocating’ Khrew

Despite being famous for producing saffron, almonds and walnuts, Khrew – a scenic area in Pulwama district – is losing its charm due to pollution emanating from industrial activities.

“The pollution caused by six cement factories in the area has made lives of local residents hell and impacted flora and fauna. Above all, the saffron crop is adversely affected by the polluted air,” Mohammad Younis, a resident of Androosa Khrew told Greater Kashmir.

   

Though time and again the factories were asked by the concerned authorities to install modern pollution control devices of prescribed standards, the order was hardly implemented.

In 1984, Kashmir Cement Project (KCP) established a cement factory here and absorbed dozens of local youths. By now Khrew has six cement manufacturing units, emitting huge quantities of cement dust that pollutes the entire area. The pollution is not only affecting humans but also wild life, saffron production, livestock etc.

According to locals, the factory owners were supposed to spend two percent of project cost on the safety and welfare of the local people but they didn’t do as promised. “These factories should either be asked to relocate from the area or install pollution control devices. Government authorities should direct the factory owners to strictly use modern pollution control devices which include baghouse, wet scrubbers and electrostatic precipitators which would tackle the pollution levels to a great extent,” said locals.

The six cement plants include government sponsored JK Cements, TCI Max, HK Cements, Cemtac, ARCO, ICC Cements and Revival. Hundreds of trucks pass in and out of these plants every day to transport raw material and manufactured cement. These factories are located in Babapora, Shaar, Zantrag, Pokhribal, Bathen, Nagender and Wuyen areas of Khrew.

The J&K High Court has several times issued notices to the government on Public Interest Litigations seeking to prevent environmental pollution caused by cement plants in Khrew. The court has also asked the government to cancel the registration and No Objection Certificates (NOCs) of those cement plants which are violating the safety measures required for controlling air pollution.

“We have been experiencing this unhygienic environment for last many years. People especially children are the worst sufferers. About 90 per cent of the people are dependent on agricultural activities here. But our orchards and agricultural fields are damaged. Instead of picking fruits and vegetables we find dusty rotten fruits which cannot be consumed,” Mohammad Younis said.

“All over the world, priority is given to the health of the citizens. We are not against industrialization but safety measures should be taken so that environment is protected from pollution,” said Muhammad Maqbool, another local resident.

District officer Pollution Control Board Mohammad Yousuf said: “We have almost completed the online pollution monitoring system for these cement plants. Once this is done the problem will be resolved to a great extent.”

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