Monday, June 6, 2011

Hyderabad International Airport , Shamshabad - Monitoring

The monitoring and review of the status of compliance of specific conditions stipulated by MoEF GOI, in its letter of 6-3-2003, granting Environmental Clearance for Hyderabad International Airport ( HIA) Shamshabad, is very unsatisfactory, .not transparent & accountable to the public at large, for ensuring their effective compliance.

Supreme Court Order   

    

The Hon'ble Supreme Court in its Order dated 1-12-2000, ruled that the government could not grant exemptions to the provisions of G.O.111, prohibiting polluting activities, in the catchment up to 10 Kms from Full Tank Level ( FTL) of the Lakes, unmindful of the fate of Lakhs of citizens of Twin Cities, to whom drinking water is supplied from these lakes. Such exemptions carelessly passed ignoring the "Precautionary Principle" could be catastrophic

 

Monitoring of Acidification of Himayat Sagar

 

By the very fact that an area of 314.0 acres, out of about 2200.0 acres of prohibited catchment area of Himayat Sagar, is being utilized for the airport activities, the monitoring & review of compliance needs special attention.  The acidification of lake waters due to toxic emissions from the aircraft, during landing and taking-off operations, needs to be regularly monitored by a suitable agency, in the light of the provisions of Sub Para 3(e) of GO. 111 dated 8-3-1996

                                         

Monitoring of Specific Conditions

 

In the light of Supreme Court directive and the fact that prohibited catchment area of Himayat Sagar is being utilized by HIA., the specific conditions in particular, stipulated while granting E.C  for HIA, are required to be monitored and reviewed for their effective compliance/implementation

Flight Scheduling and Noise Levels

The specific condition of special importance is that "Flight Scheduling and airport zoning should be properly done to reduce noise levels and their impact during night time. The noise levels should be as per the prescribed norms/standards." It may be of relevance to note, that REIA Report, predicted post project decrease in noise pollution in some areas abutting the proposed airport and the incremental noise level due to airport are pegged at 60 dBA. This aspect needs to be verified for its effective compliance & confirmed

Bird Hits & Smog

The other aspects are the possible "Bird Hits" endangering the safety of aircraft and the lives of the air- passengers & the proposed remedial measures, and the likely adverse impact of Smog in the area on the flight schedules, particularly in winter months, because of the presence of a number of air-polluting industries around the area and the proposed remedial measures etc     

Need for Epidemiological Study

The evaluation of Cancer Risks attributed to Air Pollution in Southwest Chicago published in April 1993 by EPA USA, attributed 10.5% of the total cancer cases within 16 square-mile area surrounding Midway Airport, Chicago, to emissions from aircraft. 

 

Seattle- King County Department of Public Health studied the health effects of citizens in Georgetown, an area surrounding the King County International Airport and released a report on June 20, 1997.The statistical comparison of the hospitalization rates for Georgetown with those for King and North King Counties in Seattle, show :

 

     * a 57% higher asthma rate

     * a 28% higher pneumonia/influenza rate

     * a 26% higher respiratory disease rate

     * a 83% higher pregnancy complication rate

     * a 50% higher infant mortality rate

     * Genetic diseases are statistically higher

     *a 36% higher cancer death rate with pneumonia and influenza among
        the top five leading causes

 

 Therefore, there is an immediate need to undertake Epidemiological Study of the surrounding area of Hyderabad International Airport, Shamshabad, to assess and evaluate the long term health impacts on the citizens and for initiating the required mitigation measures.

Lack of Confidence in Monitoring / Regulatory System

 The following facts, showing the speed with which the HIA Project, of considerable adverse environmental impacts on the drinking water source, in violation of the provisions of G.O.111 and Supreme Court Order, had been granted NOC by APPCB, within about 20 days from the Date of Environmental Public Hearing, speak volumes about bureaucratic / political highhandedness.

       * 28-12-2002    Public Hearing

       * 28-12-2002-   Minutes of PH issued

       * 30-12-2002    Technical Committee first meeting held

       * 08-01-2003    Technical Committee second meeting held

       * 17-01-2003    CFE Committee meeting held

       * 18-01-2003    NOC granted by APPCB

       * 07-02-2003    Application Received by MOEF

       * 06-03-2003    Environmental Clearance of MOEF granted 

Authority taking precedence over Prudence could be dangerous. 

 

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