Sources of Air Pollution and Ambient Air Quality Status of Rajgangpur-Kalunga Sponge Iron Industrial Area of Sundargarh District

摘要

Rourkela-Rajgangpur zone in Sundargarh district of Odisha is one of the indentified hot spots of industrial pollution in India. During the last decade due to availability of raw materials 20 numbers of sponge iron industries (SIIs) have been established in Rajgangpur-Kalunga area of the district, which includes both township and villages. These Slls have a capacity of 4150 tonne of sponge iron per day. SII emit lots of dust, black smokes and others gaseous matters which are dispersed into the surrounding area affecting severely the adjoining colonies, villages, township, forest, agricultural fields, roads and water resources. Air pollution is most significant in the area. The air pollutants are total suspended particulate matter (TSPM), respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM), suphur dioxide (SO_2) and oxide of nitrogen (NO_x). The SPM contains some heavy metals, such as hexavalent Cr, Ni, Cd, etc., in traces. Analysis of average concentration of TSPM and RSPM indicates higher values than the prescribed standards laid down by Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India (2009) in all the monitoring locations throughout the year. This study also reveals that with installation of electrostatic precipitator (ESP) the concentration of TSPM is reduced by 80-90% which indicates the usefulness of ESP in reducing the air pollution in sponge iron industry.