The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) on August 03, 2020 has issued circular adopting siting criteria for stone quarries in the state of Maharashtra to prevent deleterious effect of noise and air pollution on public health.
The siting criteria for stone quarries in the state of Maharashtra are given below:
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Mining type
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Minimum distance
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Locations
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(A)When blasting is not involved
(B) When blasting is involved
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100 metre
200 metre
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Residential/ Public buildings, inhabited sites, protected monuments, heritage sites, District roads, railway lines, area ropeway, bridges, dams, river, canals or any other locations to be considered by states
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The stone quarries shall follow the Source wise pollution control measures as under:-
• A drilling machine shall be fitted with dust suppression, collection and disposal arrangement.
• Proper blasting hole geometry shall be designed.
• The operator and transporter shall carry out regular maintenance of the machinery and vehicles.
• All the haul and service roads shall be metalled and well maintained.
• Non-operative dumps shall be subjected to technical and biological reclamation.
• Effluent coming out of workshop shall be treated in a plant containing and oil or grease trap and sedimentation tank.
• Stone quarrying mine shall comply with the provisions of the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rule, 2000.
The project proponent should strictly comply with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, 2009, Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974, Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and Maharashtra Minor Mineral Extraction (Development and Regulation) Rules, 2013. In case of any environmental pollution remediation measure should be taken by the project proponent.
[Circular No. MPCB/JD (APC)/Stone Quarrying/B-200803F/0006]
