Rourkela: Strict action will be taken against sponge iron units that indiscriminately dump ‘char’, the industrial waste generated in the process of sponge iron production. This was stated here Thursday by Anup Mallick, Regional Officer of the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB).
Currently, most sponge iron units in this district dump the waste material at places which suit them. One can easily find huge quantities of char dumped on the road side, in artificially created gorges and for that matter in open spaces. Most of the dumping is done at night hiding from the eyes of the administration. “The companies do not care about the environment; they just dump the heaps of dust anywhere. This is a common site in the interior parts of Sundargarh district where many sponge iron units are operating,” said a villager of Nuagaon near Kuanrmunda in the district. Mallick confirmed that he has received complaints on this aspect. “I have received complaints against ‘Bhaskar’ and ‘Srihari’ sponge iron units. I have dispatched teams to the Bonai region to examine the facts. If the allegations are true then action will be taken,” Mallick stated. He added that he has asked the concerned departments to spray water on the piles of black dust to keep it from getting blown away by strong winds and causing inconvenience. Mallick informed that the dumping of char will gradually decrease as now it is being used by many companies to make pellets. “Many sponge iron units are supplying black dust to companies in Raipur. Pellets that are used in various types of furnaces are being made from the dust,” Mallick said.
“In addition bio-pellets are being made by mixing cow dung, hay or dry leaves with the black dust,” he added. He stated that the bio-pellets are used in furnaces for tandoori preparations as they last longer. “The Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) is planning to set up a bio-pellet production unit soon. It has already procured a machine for this purpose. As the Model Code of Conduct has been implemented, the machine has not been unveiled. Once the elections are over, production of bio-pellets will start,” Mallick said.