Ecological Impact of Coal Transportation - Goa

What is the issue?

• Ideas for reducing the ecological footprint of coal are majorly focused at the mines level.
• Pollution caused by the transport of coal hasn’t got the deserved attention.

What is Goa’s case?

• Coal is mainly imported into India at Marmugoa port (Goa) from Australia, Indonesia and South Africa.
• Goa Pollution Control Board’s 2015-16 report, states that the PM10 reading of Mormugao port exceeded permissible limits.
• Official records also show that coal in excess of permissible limits is being handled at the Mormugao port.
• This coal is mainly used up in steel plants of Karnataka and transport happens by road or rail.
• 34,200 tonnes of coal is transported each day through the rail route from the Marmugoa to various destinations in Karnataka.   
• The nearly 400-km journey of this fossil fuel has been found to have profound ecological impacts and is risking habitations.
• Coal dust has also pushed up incidents of respiratory disorder and is threatening fragile forests, paddy fields, streams and rivers.

What is the way ahead?

• There have been various regulatory lapses and violations in coal imports at Marmagoa Port, which needs to be addressed.
• This acquires greater urgency given that Mormugao port plans to more than double its coal imports by 2030.
• Environmental audits have blamed the transport of coal for the high pollution levels in coal-rich Jharkhand and Maharastra too.  
• Although government has been emphasising on renewable coal is expected to hold primacy for the foreseeable future (60% by 2022).
• It is hence imperative to evolve a comprehensive policy to ensure that coal is transported in environmentally sensitive ways.

Source: Indian Express