Rice mills spew toxic fumes in Davangere

Sulphur oxide level and suspended particles in air beyond acceptable limits

For residents of Bashanagar, Bharathi Colony, Mirza Ismail Nagar and Azad Nagar in the city, life hardly carries the same luster as before.  The skies above the neighbourhoods carry dark clouds of smoke — emitted by more than 850 puffed rice mills nearby which seemingly work  around the clock, from dawn till dusk.

Although the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) had recommended moving the mills outside the city, the process has encountered many delays.

Worse, with a clear lack of environmental conciousness, the mills use old tyres for fuel,  which releases sulphur-dioxide into the air. When this combines with water in the air,  sulphur oxide is formed –  a chemical which can cause lung cancer among humans.

Indisciminate damage

Residents of these areas are not the only ones exposed to such contaminants. Students of 10 government schools and more than 20 anganwadi centres in these areas have suffered from the consequences of environmental pollution and an increase in temperature caused by these ‘gas chambers’.

A team from the Department of Environment Science, from Bapuji College of Engineering in the city conducted a test of air quality in these areas and found that the suspended particulate matter (SPM) amounts to 1,200 microgram (mg) per cubic metre — 12 times the standard laid down by the Indian Council for Medical Research.

“The high SPM levels lead to the proliferation of fungi like aspergillus which cause breathing problems, skin and lung diseases,” said Dr Tirumalamba, the head of the research team.

Lethal levels

The KSPCB, which conducted a survey in these places for a decade from 2001, following a public uproar over the spread of lung cancer, has collected air samples in and around the mills for testing.

The Board found SPM at 376 mg/cubic metre, which is a lethal amount. The Board had submitted a report to the district administration recommending that the puffed rice mills should be relocated outside the city.

Dr Manjappa, the head of the technical advisory committee of the Board, said that shifting the mills is the only way out of the problem. But elected representatives and the district administration have failed to show an interest in the process.

Another problem hindereing efforts to move the mills is  is the non-availability of names and addresses of many owners of the mills. Notices have been issued to the owners of only 400 mills (out of 850) at the present time.

The government has also proposed that improved hearths be used at the mills so as to minimise the pollution.

Maheshwarappa, the regional officer of KSPCB, said that they had written to the special research and development officer of the Visvesvaraya Technological University requesting that improved hearths be designed for the puffed rice mills.