Cement godown at Nahur railway station a health hazard, say residents

Residents near Nahur railway station face health hazards from cement pollution, leading to rashes and breathing issues; complaints to BMC yield no action.

MUMBAI: Residents living around Nahur railway station on the Goregaon-Mulund link road are plagued by the pollution from an old cement godown there which, they say, is a health hazard.

Residents living around Goregaon-Mulund link road are plagued by the pollution from an old cement godown. Reresentative Image (Photo by Sanchit Khanna/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

“My 12-year-old has developed four cysts under the ears and has rashes all over his body,” said Amit Gavas. “He takes daily medication. Our doctor has suggested getting an air purifier at home, but the kids also play outside so it won’t help much.” Gavas, who has been living in the area for six years, said that most children there had rashes or redness in the eyes.

Amit’s wife, Aasmi, added that they had not opened their windows from the time they got the house. “There is always a layer of cement in our balcony and has to be washed every day,” she said.

Rishab Mahadevan, who lives in one of the high-rises surrounding the godown, said he had been having a lot of breathing problems. “It is a huge health hazard for a senior citizen like me,” he said. “We have complained several times over the years. We got a response from the BMC only once but no action was taken.”

The Nahur goods station sees at least one 42-wagon train bringing in cement to be supplied to various construction sites in and around the Mumbai metropolitan region, which 200 trucks pick up daily. “The station has been operational for ages, probably since the time the railway tracks were laid in the British era. The buildings were constructed only a few years ago,” said an official at the godown site.

However, the residents argue that many buildings have been subsequently constructed in the vicinity. “So Nahur is now officially a residential area and continuing such work at an industrial level is hazardous for our health,” said Mahadevan. “There are about 300 flats in our building alone, and many more in the vicinity whose windows face the godown.”

All the trucks ply on a kaccha service road of 400 metres which connects the godown station to the Goregaon-Mulund link road. “The service road has three to four inches of cement dust piled on it,” said Mahadevan. “If you walk on the road, it feels like sand slipping under your feet. It has been over four years since the road was last cleaned.”

The residents have complained multiple times to the BMC but received no response. An official complaint filed with the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board on January 24 by environmental activist Stalin Dayanand went unanswered as well. However, the BMC responded to his post on ‘X’ stating, ‘We have intimated the BMC Ward T to attend this.’ (Sic)

The residents said that talk of concreting the road had been on for long but without follow-up action. The official at the godown site said that the tendering was done, and the work would start soon. HT tried to connect with the chief PRO of Central Railway but he was unavailable for comment.