3 days ago
Industrial Pollution Pressures Purulia-Bankura Villages, Health and Livelihoods
Factories in parts of Purulia and Bankura are releasing pollution that residents say is harming their villages.
The pollution comes from industries such as sponge iron plants and ramming-mass units.
People say dirty air and industrial waste are affecting their health.
Activists reported that some workers may have died from silicosis, a serious lung disease.
Farmers also say crops are harder to grow and sell.
Livestock rearing has reportedly become more difficult.
Experts want factories to continuously measure pollution and use better filters.
Residents are asking authorities to investigate the effects and enforce environmental rules.
Residents and activists say industrial pollution is threatening health and livelihoods across the Purulia-Bankura sponge iron belt.
Social worker Swadesh Priyo Mahato said the air quality index in parts of Raghunathpur sometimes exceeds 200.
Mahato reported that about 19 ramming-mass workers died of silicosis, with 16 cases recently confirmed by a medical board.
Farmers reportedly face crop losses, difficulty selling paddy, and declining livestock-rearing prospects.
Activists are seeking real-time emissions monitoring, stricter enforcement, transparent hearings, and independent health and ecological assessments.
- Who
- Residents, farmers, workers, activists, social worker Swadesh Priyo Mahato, and geoscientist Biswajit Bera.
- What
- Industrial pollution from sponge iron and related units is reportedly affecting public health, agriculture, and livelihoods.
- Where
- The Purulia-Bankura industrial belt in West Bengal, including areas such as Raghunathpur, Neturia, Santuri, Para, Arsha, Barjora, Mejia, and Chatna.
- When
- The article gives no publication date; 16 silicosis cases were reportedly confirmed at a recent medical board meeting.
- Why
- Coal dust, particulate emissions, fly ash, industrial residues, and alleged weak enforcement are contributing to environmental and health concerns.
Key facts
- Industrial areas
- The belt includes Raghunathpur, Neturia, Santuri, Para and Arsha in Purulia, and Barjora, Mejia and Chatna in Bankura.
- Reported air quality
- The air quality index in the Raghunathpur zone sometimes crosses 200, according to Swadesh Priyo Mahato.
- Ramming-mass units
- About 20 ramming-mass units reportedly operate across the district.
- Silicosis deaths
- Mahato said around 19 workers associated with one unit had died of silicosis.
- Confirmed cases
- Sixteen silicosis cases were reportedly confirmed at a recent medical board meeting.
- Pollution sources
- The article identifies particulate emissions, coal dust, fly ash, and industrial residues from coal-based sponge iron or Direct Reduced Iron plants.
- Proposed controls
- Biswajit Bera recommended real-time PM2.5 stack monitoring and high-efficiency filters or electrostatic precipitators capable of removing more than 99% of particulate matter.
Quotes
Swadesh Priyo Mahato
Social worker discussing pollution and its effects on residents in the industrial belt.
“The situation in the Purulia-Bankura industrial belt is extremely critical. In several places, villages are virtually surrounded by sponge iron plants, leaving residents with little option but to consider leaving their homes. In the Raghunathpur zone, the air quality index sometimes crosses 200.”
thestatesman.com
“Real-time monitoring must be installed on stacks to track compliance with environmental standards.”
thestatesman.com
Sources
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