Table of Contents
CASE
•In 2015, the National Green Tribunal announced Mahul as highly polluted area and unfit for residential purposes. Yet, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) rehabilitated 30,000 people in Mahul, last year.
•The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), to conclude the case, will set up an investigation team and will list out the violations which have been done by the BMC.
LIVING IN A GAS CHAMBER
Mahul is a heavily-industrialized area with Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum refineries operating there, along with other industries like Sea Lord Containers, Aegis Logistics Ltd, Tata Power and Rashtriya Chemical and Fertilizers.
The air in Mahul is thick and pungent with emissions from these industries. Ever since their arrival, the erstwhile residents of Ghatkopar and Vidyavihar have been plagued by illnesses.
MAHUL
•Over 30,000 Project Affected People (PAP) were brought to Mahul from slums and settlements in Kurla, Ghatkopar, Vidyavihar, Mahalaxmi, and Bandra.
TANSA WATER PIPELINE
• On May 13, nearly 1,000 houses near the Tansa water pipeline in Ghatkopar and Vidyavihar in Mumbai were razed to the ground by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
• The demolition was carried out in accordance with a Bombay high court 2009 order to remove settlements within ten metres of either side of the pipeline.
PROBLEMS
• They are rapidly losing hair. The corrosive environment is acting on their skin, the effects of which can be seen in the form of pimple-like growths or dark patches.
• They complain of stinging in their eyes and burning in their throats.
POLLUTION FROM OIL REFINERIES
• Oil refineries pollute our air, water, and land. Oil refineries cause smog and air pollution. Almost all refineries in every country currently pollute at unacceptable, unhealthy levels. Oil
refineries emit about 100 chemicals everyday.
NOTES
These include metals like lead which makes it hard for children to learn. They also include very smaller size dust particles that get deep into our lungs and harm our ability to breathe.
Finally, refineries emit many gases like sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (NO2), carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, dioxins, hydrogen fluoride, chlorine, benzene and others.
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