Merces was in the grip of panic and anxiety on Thursday as a chlorine gas leak from a scrapyard at Bamon Bhat left people in the vicinity gasping for breath with around 23 falling ill, some shifted to the Goa Medical College and Hospital, Bambolim and others attended to by the emergency services. An explosion of a chlorine tank raised a dark cloud over the scrapyard unit, affecting even plantations in the area.
Merces houses around 12-15 scrapyards in and around the village including Bamon Bhat and Voilem Bhat areas, some doing business in thickly populated places while others putting up along the non-residential low-lying Chimbel-Ribandar border. There is a certain threat to the 700-800 people living near scrapyards in central Merces, and the danger is imminent because scrapyards, despite the threats they hold to life and property, have been unregulated across Goa.
The Merces scrapyard gas leak raises serious questions about how the operator was allowed to handle chlorine cylinders. It only reflects that there is no control over the operations of scrapyards, and it is an open secret that many of them have no licences or consent to operate from the Goa State Pollution Control Board. What’s worse is that the much-awaited new scrapyard policy that the government promised to unveil is taking years, especially after the policy lapsed in 2019.
It may be recalled that after several timelines, the Chief Minister had assured to Legislative Assembly in the July session of 2023 that the policy would be drafted by October of that year while adding that all such units would be relocated to an alternate site with those in residential areas taken up on priority. Revenue Minister Atanasio Monserrate had informed the House that notices were issued to the 380 scrapyards. Earlier, this year, the Pollution Control Board was to hold consultations with stakeholders to understand concerns.
A year later, nothing much has changed. The same old story continues and we are yet to hear of the policy. It is a pity that a scrapyard blast becomes a grim reminder of a policy. The irony is scrapyard blasts have been common in Goa. Last year two workers were injured in an explosion at Fatorda. Another blast sent shock waves in Dhavali. Farmagudi and Sao Jose de Areal have been constantly in a state of panic because of scrapyards.
While the policy is still in the making, the biggest impediment appears to be about relocating scrapyards to industrial areas, away from residential spaces. At a time when land rates have skyrocketed, relocation is never going to be easy, especially because of inherent systemic issues that involve big money. The scrapyard owners may be willing to shift, the onus is on the government to find a way out, and the success of the policy will be largely dependent on whether the government can do that.
Scrapyards cannot be junked because society needs them to handle the scrap that is generated. The fear sets in when units start handling hazardous waste, including chlorine and ammonia tanks which is why they are seen as ticking time bombs on the Goan landscape. It’s high time that the government steps in before tragedy strikes again.
