Fresh flashpoint in Cuncolim as GSPCB clears controversial fish meal plant

File photo of Cuncolim citizens opposing the fish meal plant at Cuncolim.

MARGAO
Overruling objections filed by the Cuncolim Municipal Council and local residents, the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has formally granted Consent to Establish (CTE) to M/s Goa Marine Impex Pvt Ltd for setting up a fish meal and fish oil plant at Cuncolim.
The consent was issued by GSPCB Member Secretary Geeta S Nagvenkar with the approval of Chairman Levinson Martins, as decided during the Board’s 164th meeting.
Issued under the provisions of the Water Act and Air Act, the GSPCB has granted consent to establish the fish meal plant (Orange category) with a capacity of 2400 metric tonnes/month and fish oil (400 metric tonnes/month).
While granting the consent to establish, the GSPCB issued a host of specific conditions to M/s Goa Marine Impex Pvt Ltd, including the condition that the unit shall install an Online Effluent Monitoring System (OEMS) for continuous monitoring of effluent quality to ensure compliance with prescribed effluent treatment standards.
The unit has been directed to install an Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP), including all the secondary and tertiary treatment tanks (except for the wastewater collection system), above the ground surface.
The unit has to install electromagnetic digital flow meters at the inlet of the ETP, after secondary treatment, before tertiary treatment and after tertiary treatment/outlet of the ETP, and to maintain a logbook of the meter readings and ETP operations.
The unit shall carry out Ambient Air Quality Monitoring once every month from a laboratory recognised by the MoEF under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, and the report should be submitted to the Board by the 15th of the subsequent month. The unit shall provide the boiler with air emission control equipment such as a bag filter/ESP to achieve the emission standards.
The GSPCB clearance comes amid stiff opposition to the fish meal plant proposed outside the Cuncolim IDC limits. Cuncolkars have been opposing the fish meal plant on the grounds that the existing plant operating inside the Cuncolim IDC had been causing air and water pollution since its inception a decade and a half ago.
GSPCB conditions
Amongst the host of specific conditions to control pollution, the GSPCB has directed that the unit shall transport raw fish only through closed, insulated/refrigerated vehicles, which shall be equipped with a collection tank for ice-melt water and blood water, with a direction to channelise the collected wastewater into the ETP for further treatment.
The unit has made it mandatory to process only fresh fish and that no spoiled/decomposed fish is processed in the unit. The Board directed that all vehicles exiting the unit premises shall be thoroughly washed/cleaned after unloading in a designated contained area and mandatorily passed through an operational wheel-washing system prior to leaving the premises.
“Unloading area should be provided with a berm. All wastewater generated shall be channelised to the ETP. The gases captured from the roof suction hood are passed through a water scrubber and then vented; the same shall be passed through biofilters and then released into the atmosphere. The biofilter shall also be provided with an additional layer of activated charcoal above the water sprinklers for further purification."
The Board had stated that the guidelines on Odour Pollution & its Control published by CPCB in May 2008 recommend that, for the tannery industry, a retention time of about 20 seconds in a biofilter is required for effective odour elimination. In the chemical scrubber, the pH of the scrubbing liquid is maintained at 4 as informed; however, it is essential to verify the scrubbing efficiency of the present system to capture odorous gases such as ammonia, H2S and VOCs.
The unit has been directed to enclose the biofilters on all sides and provide vent pipes on the side walls or on the top. This arrangement will ensure that all treated gases are discharged only through the designated vents, thereby facilitating accurate monitoring and analysis of odorous gases, such as ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen sulphide (H2S), in the vented air. (ix) (x) (xi) (xii) The unit shall be asked to install an online ammonia detection system near the processing shed to ensure continuous monitoring of odorous emissions.
The unit has provided scrubbers and biofilters for treating the odorous gases, and these were in operation during inspection; however, assessment of the individual treatment efficiency of each air pollution control system is required, for which the GSPCB shall conduct a technical audit through third-party assistance.