Residents complain of toxic gas emissions from a chemical factory in Chembur

The residents claimed that the unit had released ammonia and other harmful chemical gases, videos of which were circulated on social media, showing huge amounts of smoke being released from the chimney of the fertiliser-manufacturing factory, making the skies hazy and foggy. The factory claims that the emission was purely water vapour and that the concerned authorities had conducted a site visit, confirming that there was no gas leak.

Mumbai: Residents of Chembur woke up to red eyes and burning skin yesterday, allegedly due to the emission of harmful gases from a nearby chemical factory. The residents claimed that the unit had released ammonia and other harmful chemical gases, videos of which were circulated on social media, showing huge amounts of smoke being released from the chimney of the fertiliser-manufacturing factory, making the skies hazy and foggy. The factory claims that the emission was purely water vapour and that the concerned authorities had conducted a site visit, confirming that there was no gas leak.

Residents shut windows after noticing the smoke.

On Monday afternoon, the readings of Sulphur Dioxide, a colourless gas that has a pungent smell and causes irritation and inflammation in the eyes, nose, throat and lungs, peaked at 105, after which the recordings were intermittent. But the readings of the continuous ambient air quality monitoring station located in Chembur recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 54 in the vicinity, with the primary pollutant being particulate matter (PM) 10, indicating satisfactory air quality.

Multiple complaints from the residents of Mysore colony, Sindhi colony and Collectors colony poured in on Monday as the gases emitted from the Rashtriya Chemical and Fertiliser Limited (RCF) plant fogged the vicinity, after which some officials of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) conducted a site visit and said that the reports from the emission monitoring system and air quality monitoring system of the unit indicated no gas leak. But the officials are yet to investigate what caused the foggy skies.

According to the residents, the practice has been a daily occurrence and the plant usually releases the gases at night. “We saw the smoke emission at 6 am and closed all the windows and doors. The odour was pungent and unbearable,” said Preeti Shetty, a resident of Collector’s colony, who lives 2 km from the plant. “We covered windows with wet towels and consistently dampened our eyes with a wet cloth to mitigate the effects, but it is not very helpful,” she added.

“People have been living here for ages and have adapted to the conditions but the situation since morning has been unbearable,” said Satish Shetty, another resident of Chembur, highlighting that it has been very problematic for senior citizens and people with comorbidities such as asthma, specifically during the monsoon when the smoke stays in the air for a longer period.

The residents said that over the years, they have been filing complaints, demanding that the emissions be regulated. “We are not asking the unit to be moved or shut down, but emissions should be minimal, considering that the area around the unit is residential,” said another resident.

Chairman of RCF, Shriniwas Mudgerikar, said, “It is a routine practice of the unit to release smoke, which is purely water vapour and has no toxic chemicals in it. The concerned agencies had inspected the unit and confirmed that there was no gas leak.”