Biomedical pollution: Residents of Govandi and Deonar take battle to Delhi

The SMS Envoclean plant at Govandi. The locals plan to protest outside its main gate on Sunday. File pic

The residents of Govandi and Deonar have taken their fight against the biomedical waste treatment plant in their backyard to the President after the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board allegedly failed to provide sufficient information to their RTI queries. As they await a hearing date for their petition filed with the National Green Tribunal, the locals now plan to hold a protest outside the gate of SMS Envoclean on July 31.

The residents wrote to Droupadi Murmu on July 25, the day she took oath as India's President. "If our requests and complaints are falling on deaf ears, at least the authorities will listen to the President of India. We have written to her in hope that our case will be expedited and we will get to breathe clean air soon," said Nafeez Ahmed Ansari, a Govandi resident and an RTI activist.

Also read: Upset Govandi, Deonar locals approach NGT over delay in shifting waste plant

Local residents outside the Govandi medical waste plant

Last year, former environment minister Aaditya Thackeray ordered the relocation of SMS Envoclean, Mumbai's only medical waste treatment plant, to Khalapur by May 2022. However, the relocation has been delayed until June 2023 due to pending environmental clearance. Tired of this delay, the residents moved the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in May this year. In the first week of this month, they threatened to boycott the civic elections citing government apathy.

"Now, they are again talking about a new deadline of June 2023, but we do not see the plant shifting to Khalapur even then. Now we are very sure that the owners and MPCB are just delaying the matter," said Ansari.

Protest on Sunday

Fayyaz Shaikh, president of NGO Govandi New Sangam Welfare Society, said they have demanded that all of Mumbai's biomedical waste be diverted to Taloja, instead of the present arrangement of 50 per cent, till the plant is shifted to Khalapur. "Besides this, we have demanded that the state government provide us with free medical check-ups, free medical treatment, 24X7 access to medical facilities and compensation for damage to health due to polluted air and toxic gases emitted from the plant till it is shifted to Khalapur."

Smoke emits from a chimney of medical waste plant Envoclean, at Govandi. File pic

"Residents of Govandi-Mankhurd will not tolerate this anymore, they are ready to protest in front of SMS Envoclean which is putting our lives at risk. We will gather in large numbers and protest on July 31," said resident Rafiq Shaikh.

Simmering anger since 2020

Residents from Govandi, Mankhurd, Deonar, and surrounding areas have filed repeated complaints against SMS Envoclean Pvt Ltd since June 2020, alleging that it would emit toxic air and black smoke after incinerating COVID-related personal protective equipment kits, or PPEs, raising health problems in the area. Following a series of complaints, state pollution control body MPCB directed the firm and contractor to improve their scrubber technology to reduce the black smoke released by it. But residents say the facility continues to cough out thick black shoot.

In 2009, the BMC and MPCB contracted Envoclean to treat the city's bio-medical waste, which comprises human remains, sharp objects like used syringes and knives, gloves, PPEs and masks. Although the contract was to build three plants, only one came up - at Govandi - as the civic body was couldn't find places for the other two plants.

"The emission levels of SMS Envoclean are being monitored by MPCB and CPCB [Central Pollution Control Board] daily through an online mechanism. The unit has not violated the 80 micrograms per cubic metre [μg/m³] 24-hour safe limit for NO2, the major pollutant after the burning of waste. The owners have already purchased land for setting up the plant at Khalapur. The shifting process has not stopped, it is just been delayed due to environment clearances," said Ashok Shingare, member secretary-MPCB.

‘MPCB evading RTI queries'

In response to a question filed under the Right to Information Act, the MPCB allegedly failed to inform the residents whether a public meeting was held or a newspaper advertisement was published before transferring the plant from Sewri as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). "We submitted an RTI requesting that the pollution control body provide documents and modalities signed by MPCB and SMS Envoclean. They responded by stating that no such information is available at their office," said Ansari.

About the EIA report completed between 2007 and 2009, Ansari said MPCB simply replied "the facility began in May 2009". "This itself is an infraction." Shaikh added, "Public consultations are an essential part of the environmental clearance process under the Centre's Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006. Central guidelines clearly state that the full EIA report is to be shared publicly in multiple languages, 30 days before the public hearing."

City's medical waste

>> 12-15 tonnes a day - before March 2020 (pre-COVID)
>> 36 tonnes - in May-June 2020 (peak of pandemic)
>> 18 tonnes - in Jun -July 2021
>> 15 tonnes - current generation