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Garbage dumping near Uran valve station dangerous: ONGC
The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has recently alleged that the Uran Municipal Council (UMC) is dumping garbage near one of its valve stations in Bori Pakhadi.
The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has recently alleged that the Uran Municipal Council (UMC) is dumping garbage near one of its valve stations in Bori Pakhadi. The oil company has said this is dangerous and will lead to many issues. UMC has, however, denied dumping garbage near the valve station.
“The valve station is an important set-up as it is the central control system for many of pipes. If access to the valve station is blocked, it could lead to many issues. We will speak to the civic body about it and ensure that dumping is stopped in the area,” said an ONGC official.
“The ONGC valve station is far away from the dumping zone. Also, we have been dumping garbage on a ground that was permitted by the government. We have ensured that ONGC plant is not affected,” said Awdhut Tawde, chief executive officer, UMC.
Apart from the valve station, residents and activists have complained that the garbage-dumping, which is going on for more than a year, is leading to the destruction of mangroves.
The area, which once flourished with thick mangroves, has now been turned into a massive urban garbage dumping ground.
Environmental groups The Nature Connect and Shree Ekvira Aai Pratishtan (SEAP) have even written to the Bombay high court-appointed mangrove conservation and monitoring committee to look into the matter and call for an immediate site inspection.
“We have often complained about the issue to the civic body. Acting on our complaints, they have now decided to send a JCB to level the garbage, which would further damage the mangroves,” said Sameer Ashrit, 45, a resident of Uran.
“The ONGC pipeline passes through the same area and levelling the heap of garbage may lead to a disaster,” added Ashrit.
Locals allege that after the proposal of the international airport got a nod, a lot of damage has been done to the green areas of Uran.
“The garbage dump is a huge fire hazard as birds landing on the high-tension power lines frequently get electrocuted and fall on the garbage. We have seen the garbage catching fire several times,” said Suresh N, a local.
“We fail to understand why the authorities are not acting to shift the dumping ground despite the environment and security hazards being posed by the menace,” said BN Kumar, director of NGO Nature Connect. Kumar has written many complaints to the mangrove committee to take quick action in this regard.
Environmentalists are worried about the rising sea levels and depleting green cover, and want civic officials to act soon and save the mangroves.
“At a time when we need more and more mangroves, we are losing them,” said Nandakumar Pawar, head of SEAP. “A team of revenue and forest officials had inspected the area and recorded the objections from local people and environmentalists, and yet there has been no action. This indicates a lack of will,” added Pawar.
