MUMBAI: As a part of its plan to cut back air air pollution, the Maharashtra Air pollution Management Board (MPCB) has issued a discover to bakeries within the Mumbai Metropolitan Area (MMR) to discard their firewood and coal ovens and shift to LPG, PNG, electrical energy and different sources of inexperienced power within the subsequent six months. The MPCB discover has come after the Bombay excessive courtroom took up the problem of MMR’s alarming air air pollution in a suo motu petition 18 months in the past.
MPCB points discover to MMR bakeries to modify to inexperienced gas inside 6 months
“While replying to the HC petition, we conducted an audit of the industry and found that about 6% of the pollution comes from bakeries and tandoor bhattis in hotels,” mentioned an MPCB official. “Most of the bakeries are in residential areas, and with cities growing vertically, their chimneys send smoke upwards. Besides, they use poor-quality wood like the plywood sold by scrap dealers. This dumped wood contains hazardous chemicals, multiplying the health hazards.”
Bakeries—that are categorised as Inexperienced and Orange primarily based on their manufacturing capability—must yearly renew their licence with an NOC from the setting authorities. MPCB has warned that this won’t be carried out except the conversion to inexperienced power is completed within the stipulated interval. “Apart from withholding the NOC, MPCB will initiate action to close the bakeries if there is non-compliance,” the discover mentioned.
An MPCB officer mentioned that the Delhi authorities had transformed all tandoor bhattis in that metropolis to electrical energy, and MMR would go the Delhi manner although the rule wouldn’t be relevant outdoors MMR for now. Final month, setting minister Pankaja Munde introduced {that a} plan could be chalked out to cut back Mumbai’s air pollution, and regulating bakeries and eating places working tandoor bhattis could be a part of it.
Nasir Ansari, president of the Bombay Bakers Affiliation, mentioned they have been prepared to modify to a clear gas however required extra time. “We need at least one year to switch over, as the conversion requires a minimum of ₹15 lakh per bakery,” he mentioned. “The structural changes too will need time. We expect a subsidy from the government, as apart from the cost, our fuel cost too will more than double. We are moving the court with our demands for time and subsidy.”
The Bombay Environmental Motion Group (BEAG) final 12 months submitted a survey of 20 of town’s 1,400-2,000 bakeries titled ‘Envisioning a Sustainable Bakery Industry for Mumbai’. The report states that the typical wooden consumption of a bakery stands at round 130 kg every day whereas the bigger bakeries use 250 kg to 300 kg. It provides that wood-fired ovens emit dangerous pollution, together with particulate matter (PM), methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO) and unstable natural compounds (VOCs); additionally, the ash generated is commonly disposed of in dumping grounds, contributing to air air pollution.
Hema Ramani, former marketing campaign director of BEAG mentioned that 5% to six% of the air pollution in Mumbai got here from bakeries and tandoor bhattis. “Although it is a small percentage, this is a sector we could reduce to a zero-pollution one with a little tweaking in operations,” she mentioned. “Other activities like construction of roads, buildings, bridges and vehicular traffic cannot be stopped.”
Ramani termed the switchover “a win-win situation”, as wooden gas was additionally damaging to the well being of the individuals working in bakeries. “The BMC and the government agencies will handhold bakers through this,” she mentioned.
Saji Sheikh, proprietor of the Byculla-based Central Bakery, mentioned he was dreading the prices that lay forward. “A small electricity-run bhatti will cost ₹6 lakh,” he mentioned. “The wood bhattis we have right now will have to be demolished or kept aside, which will take a lot of space. And the costs don’t stop there; bakeries that have switched to electricity report paying over a lakh for monthly fuel costs, whereas we currently pay ₹35,000 to ₹45,000 for wood. Ramadan is coming up; we will take a decision on what to do soon.”
With inputs from Sabah Virani