paper on environmental management plan for port and harbour projects

8/7/2019 Paper on Environmental Management Plan for Port and Harbour Projects

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O R IGINA L PA PE R

A. K. Gupta S. K. Gupta Rashmi S. Patil

Environmental management plan for port and harbour projects

Received: 15 June 2004 / Accepted: 18 October 2004 / Published online: 6 April 2005 Springer-Verlag 2005

Abstract Port activities can cause deterioration of airand marine water quality in the surrounding areas dueto multifarious activities. Hence, for the determinationof levels of pollution, identification of pollution sources,

control and disposal of waste from various point andnon-point sources and for prediction of pollution levelsfor future, regular monitoring and assessment are re-quired during the entire construction and operationphase of a major port. It is extremely essential that portand harbour projects should have an environmentalmanagement plan (EMP), which also incorporatesmonitoring of air and marine water quality along withthe collection of online meteorological data throughoutthe life of the project. This paper presents the environ-mental impacts due to various port activities and theirsources and also discusses the EMP for different pollu-tion prevention, protection and control measures.

Introduction

More than 50% of the world population lives close tothe coast, of which more than 300 million inhabit thecoastal urban cities (Chau 1999; Chua and Ross 1998).There are significant increases in maritime trade amongvarious countries as we enter the twenty first century. Tomeet the increasing demands of population and

requirements of the industries, new ports are beingconstructed or existing ports are being expandedthroughout the world. This would definitely facilitatecommercial and economic growth but the port activities

are also likely to cause deterioration of air and marinewater quality in the surrounding areas. A port can leadto severe pollution problem, over a large area due to themultifarious activities. The increase in emissions of airpollutants can affect local as well as regional air quality(Galloway 1989; Gupta et al. 2002; Rodhe 1989; Streetset al. 2000). With the increase in volume of shippingtraffic into and within the region, sea-based pollution isalso a source of concern, especially along heavily con-gested shipping routes (Chua 1995a, b). Oil and chemicalspills from ships, either from operational activities orcatastrophic accidents (i.e. grounding or collision), alsocause health hazards.

Maritime development usually generates local envi-ronmental problems; however, development associatedwith sensitive estuaries or inland or freshwater riversmay yield regional scale problems. The impacts onenvironment will differ from place to place dependingupon the variations of geography, hydrology, geology,ecology, types of shipping, industrialization and urban-ization. Hence, for the determination of levels of pollu-tion, identification of pollution sources, control anddisposal of waste from various point and non-pointsources and for prediction of pollution levels for future,regular monitoring and assessment are required duringthe entire construction and operation phase for a major

port. It is mandatory that port and harbour projectsshould have an environmental management plan (EMP),which includes monitoring of air and marine waterquality along with the collection of online meteorologi-cal data throughout the life of the project throughoutthe world.

This paper tries to identify not only the environ-mental impact caused or induced by various portactivities and their sources but also discusses differentprevention, protection and control measures for air andwater pollution, which will be helpful in evolving an

A. K. Gupta (&)Department of Civil Engineering,Indian Institute of Technology,Kharagpur, 721302, IndiaE-mail: [email protected].: +91-3222-283428Fax: +91-3222-255303

S. K. Gupta R. S. PatilCentre for Environmental Science and Engineering,Indian Institute of Technology,Bombay, 400076, India

Clean Techn Environ Policy (2005) 7: 133141DOI 10.1007/s10098-004-0266-7


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appropriate EMP for a specific port and harbour pro-jects.

Identification of impacts

Ports and harbours are located either in marine/estua-rine zones or on rivers at inland sites far from the sea,but general guidelines are applicable to both. Various

port and harbour activities including dredging opera-tions, materials disposal, shorezone development,increased maritime traffic and vehicular traffic in theport can results in the release of natural and anthropo-genic contaminants to the environment. The pollutionproblems usually caused by port and harbour activitiescan be categorized as follows:

1. Coastal habitats may be destroyed and navigationalchannels silted due to causeway construction andland reclamation.

2. Unregulated mariculture activities in the port andharbour areas may threaten navigation safety.

3. Deterioration of surface water quality may occurduring both the construction and operation phases.4. Harbour operations may produce sewage, bilge

wastes, solid waste and leakage of harmful materialsboth from shore and ships.

5. Human and fish health may be affected by contami-nation of coastal water due to urban effluent dis-charge.

6. Oil pollution is one of the major environmentalhazards resulting from port/harbour and shippingoperations. This includes bilge oil released fromcommercial ships handling non-oil cargo as well asthe more common threat from oil tankers.

7. Air pollutant emissions due to ship emissions, load-ing and unloading activities, construction emissionand emissions due to vehicular movement.

Impact on surface water quality

The construction of man-made structures and alterationof natural waters can lead to direct and indirect impactson the water body and ecosystem. Deterioration insurface water quality can occur during both the con-struction and operation phases. During the constructionphase, pollution may result from soil run off and sani-

tary waste from labour force.Dredging and reclamation result in the formation of

plumes of suspended sediments around dredgers, recla-mation outfalls and dumping grounds. Dredging anddredge spoil disposal activities for port development andmaintenance can induce short- and long-term impactson aquatic systems, namely degradation of marine re-sources such as beaches, estuaries, coral reefs and fish-eries; resuspension and settlement of sediments,portioning of toxic contaminants and reintroduction tothe water column; contaminant uptake by and accu-

mulation in fish and shellfish, increased turbidity causingdecrease in light penetration and associated photosyn-thetic activity, short-term depletions of dissolved oxygenlevels; modified bathymetry causing changes in circula-tion; possible saltwater intrusion to ground-water;inland surface water; altered species diversity andstructure of benthic communities; fluctuations in waterchemistry, changes in shoreline structure; loss of habitatand fisheries resources.

Harbour operation can produce sewage, bilgewastes, solid waste, oil discharges and leakages ofharmful materials both from shore and ships. Tens ofthousands of chemicals are used to meet societystechnological and economic needs. Many of thesechemicals find their way into the marine environment;therefore, it is important to ascertain whether thecomplex mixtures of chemicals found in coastal watersare causing adverse biological effects on marineorganisms. There are two basic ways by which chemicalcontaminants can affect living marine resources: (1) bydirectly affecting the exposed organisms own healthand survival, and (2) by contaminating those fisheries

resources that other species, including humans, mayconsume.

Impact on air quality

Air quality in a port area can be affected by dust andparticulates from traffic (resuspension of road dust), siteclearing, rock excavation and construction activity, andemissions from vehicles bringing materials to the siteand from ships and construction equipments. The pho-tochemical reactions (complex chain reactions between

sunlight and gaseous pollutants), emissions from burn-ing waste materials and escaping dust (due to handlingof fine-particulate materials such as fertilizers and min-erals) are also major sources of air pollution in portareas. Air quality can also be affected by secondarydevelopments such as urbanization and increasedvehicular traffic.

Ship emissions are the main source of SO2 in portand harbour areas. Total emissions from major shippingactivities are estimated to be 236,000 tonne SO2 peryear. Emissions from port activities account for about4.5% of total shipping emissions, or 10,620 tonne SO2per year (Streets et al. 1997). Generally, the cheapest

grades of residual oil, containing as much as 5% sul-phur, are being used to fuel the commercial fleets. Theaverage sulphur content of marine fuel oils is about2.8%. In 1997, the International Convention for thePrevention of Pollution from Ships (commonly knownas the MARPOL convention) approved a global cap of4.5% on the sulphur content of marine fuel oils(Streets et al. 2000). A significant fraction of more than10% of the global NOx production is emitted fromocean going ships burning fossil fuels (Lawrence andCrutzen 1999).

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Impacts on human health

Impacts on human health can be broadly categorized as:

1. Hazards/accidents both onshore and offshore fromhandling of hazardous materials such as flammables,explosives and toxics from vessel collisions

2. Communicable diseases3. Noise from construction equipment/activity, vehicles,

cargo handling equipment and ship and port publicaddress systems/sirens

4. Respiratory illness from escaping dust and particu-lates.

Most health impacts (except communicable diseases)will generally be confined to the immediate port vicinity/work environment. Occupational health programmesshould be established and provisions should be made foradequate medical emergency services.

Best available techniques

Major port expansion and the development of new portsoffer the opportunity to introduce the use of the mostup-to-date techniques and equipment for port con-struction, maintenance, operation, cargo handling andstorage. Significant advances in techniques and tech-nologies have been made in recent years in these fields toreduce the environmental impacts if correctly handled.

The International Organization of Standardization(ISO) has formulated the Environmental ManagementSystem (EMS) under ISO 14000. Similarly, most ofEurope adopts a system known as BATNEEC. BAT-NEEC is a concept relating to environmental protection

that helps define good practice and is becomingincreasingly popular internationally, particularly within

the European Community. Ports and harbours areseeking certification under ISO 14000 or its equivalent.

EMP for a port and harbour

The EMP should generally include information on thegeneration and treatment of solid waste, liquid andgaseous effluents, details of safety measures around theproject, and details of the safety organization includingkey personnel. The various strategies for EMP aresummarized in Fig. 1.

An EMP is formulated to mitigate the adverse impactsarising out of any developmental programme. An EMPshould ensure that resources are used with maximumefficiency, waste generation is minimized, residuals aretreated adequately and products are recovered andrecycled to the maximum extent possible. Stress shouldbe laid on low waste or cleaner technologies.

An EMP is a required part of environmental impactassessment of a new port project but could also beevolved for existing ports. It is useful both during the

construction and operational phases of the new port butonly for operation of existing ports to ensure the effec-tiveness of the mitigation measures and to give guidanceas to the most appropriate way of dealing with anyunforeseen effects. A regular monitoring programmeneeds to be specified in order to check that environ-mental measures are working and to alert port andpollution control boards to any pollution or otherenvironmental problems that might occur during eitherthe construction or operational phase of the project. Anumber of important issues needs to be included in theEMP, namely:

The review, and where necessary, updating of disastermanagement plans for all ports, particularly proce-

Fig. 1 Components andstrategies for environmentalmanagement plan (EMP)

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dures and management responsibilities. The adequacyof equipments for handling oil and related liquid bulkspills and other emergencies should be assessed in thelight of increased traffic since the facility was opened.

The review of dredging practices, the toxicity of thedredged material and the disposal location.

Improving the handling facilities for dry bulk cargoes,especially for coal and iron ore. This is potentially acostly exercise and will inevitably be constrained byfinancial considerations.

Providing facilities for collection and disposal ofwaste oil and solid waste (garbage) in accordance withthe marine pollution convention. Collection facilitiesneed to be conveniently located for ships, open athours to suit ship movements.

Hazardous waste materials should be separatelycollected and disposed off at the designated site.

Health related monitoring should be performed onthe workers who are working in bulk storage areaand handling chemicals.

Facilities need to be brought to the attention of

shippers to encourage their use. The location of thetreatment or disposal facilities needs to be carefullyplanned so as not to give rise to negative environ-mental impacts elsewhere, particularly in the case ofgarbage disposal.

Adopting mitigation techniques for reducing thepollutant concentration like green belt/plantation,conservation of water and energy etc. Various otherconsiderations to control air and water quality inthe port and harbour region are discussed below.

Management plan during dredging operation

in the port area

A comprehensive dredging and dredged materials man-agement plan should be considered for the port andharbour facilities to ensure that project can be carriedout with minimum environmental effects. Both capitaland maintenance dredging affect water quality; partic-ularly turbidity and this in turn can marginally affectmarine ecology and fisheries. Capital dredging has highpotential to disperse the fine-grained sediment in thewater column, thereby increasing the particular load.The initial screening for evaluating disposal options isbased on physical and chemical analysis for geotechnical

character and the presence of contaminants in the sedi-ments. Depending on the physical and chemical char-acter of the dredged material, disposal may be confined,unconfined or treated prior to release in open water,along the shoreline, or on land.

Maintenance dredging is performed in approachchannels and harbour basins to maintain depth andwidth and ensure safe access for large vessels. Thedredged materials from maintenance dredging typicallypresent a greater disposal problem than deeper sedi-ments removed during construction dredging, since

surficial sediments are composed of recently depositedmaterials that are usually contaminated. These youngersediments usually contain natural and anthropogeniccontaminants and can arrive from atmospheric fallout;erosion of local, surface and channel banks; fallout frombiological activity in the water column; sediment trans-port from inland waters; point source discharges andsurface runoff from the surrounding area. To mitigatepotential contaminant passing from the port area, itshould be addressed through proper design of stormwater handling and treatment facilities; placement ofsewage and wastewater outfalls; compatibility of localland use (e.g. proximity of agriculture fields or miningoperations), procedures for handling hazardous materi-als and types of industries permitted to operate in theport area.

Disposal must be in accordance with applicable reg-ulations. Also, long-term monitoring of the dredgingprocess and disposal may be required. Mitigation mea-sures recommended for reducing the release of sedimentsand fines into the main water body could include:

Containment of the work area with a silt curtain toprevent excessive release of fine sediments Use of suction dredger instead of bucket dredger Dewatering of fines through sediment traps No dredging works during storms Halting dredging during the breeding seasons of eco-

nomically important fish stocks or protected or rarespecies

Plan for minimizing impacts on local flora and fauna,and screen for the presence of rare, threatened orendangered species that are indigenous to the projectlocation

Monitor local air quality and reduce operations if

unacceptable quality arises.

Management plan to improve marine water qualityin the port area

1. The drains and outfall should be cleaned regularly toavoid anaerobic decomposition and also for properflow of water/wastewater. This will also enable thecharacterization of wastewater and calculation ofwaste load

2. Domestic and canteen wastewater should be dis-charged only after proper treatment

3. The solid waste generated from the canteen and otherdiffused sources should be collected and disposed offproperly

4. The discharge of oil waste into the sea from the fol-lowing main sources should be controlled

(a) Discharge of oil waste from liquid chemical cor-ridor area. This liquid waste is generated duringtanker cleaning and oils spills during fillingoperations

(b) Oil spills at berth during unloading operations(c) Tanker ballast discharge from ships

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5. The discharge of solid waste and sewage from shipsshould be controlled. It should be disposed/dis-charged only after proper treatment

6. Bulk material should not be disposed into the sea. Alldrains and roads should be cleaned before the rainyseason to avoid runoff from land to sea carrying amyriad of pollutants including chemicals

7. Temporary bunds should be constructed to containsurface runoff from land sites. Collected runoffshould be passed through retention ponds to collectsuspended solids before discharge

8. A treatment system should be provided at the con-struction camp. This could either be a package plantor a septic tank

9. A conventional activated sludge sewage treatmentplant is not considered to be appropriate for portoperations owing to fluctuations in the volume andcharacteristics. The following alternatives for treat-ment are more appropriate

(a) Either an anaerobic pond followed by facultativeand polishing off ponds discharging to a near

shore outfall(b) An anaerobic pond discharging to an offshoreoutfall

10. Sanitary effluents should not be discharged into theharbour itself

11. Oily wastewaters (from fuel storage tanks, mainte-nance shops, ships bilge water, tank washings) andrunoff from dirty areas of the port (vehicle mar-shalling, parking and fuel storage areas) should allbe collected and passed through an oil water sepa-rator before discharge. Wastewater may be returnedto storm water system after treatment

12. Reception facilities for oily wastes from ships should

be provided and their use should be enforced bymonitoring. Penalties may be imposed for oily dis-charges in and around the port

13. Regular monitoring of water quality should becarried out within the port and in adjacent watersduring operation to identify adverse environmentalchanges.

Management plan to improve air quality in the portand harbour region

1. To control the fugitive emissions during loading and

unloading and storing operations, the following ac-tions have to be taken

Spraying of water or suitable chemical over thebulk material so that wind blown dust is reduced

A common preventive technique for the control offugitive particulate emission is to enclose the sour-ces either fully or partially. Enclosures prevent orinhibit particulate matter from becoming air borneas a result of disturbance created by wind or bymechanical entrainment resulting from the opera-

tion of the source itself. Enclosure also helps tocontain those emissions that are generated. Theycan consist of either some type of permanentstructure or temporary arrangement

It is also observed that during loading andunloading operations considerable dust is generatedwhich may be chemical in nature. This could beharmful to the health of working staff, hence, masksshould be provided to all staff working at the siteand also periodic check of their health should becarried out

Bulk material should be transported in closedtrucks to avoid wind entrainment

Proper bag filters in conveyor belts must be used forcollection of dust and use of conveyor belts shouldbe minimized

Resuspension of dust is due to wind and vehicularmovement over the road surface. Controllingresuspension of road dust may be the most effectiveway of reducing particulate pollutant. There arevarious methods for reducing entrainment like

(a) Regular cleaning of paved and unpaved roads(b) Removal of the accumulated dirt from roadside(c) Regular maintenance of unpaved shoulder on

paved road(d) paving of access roads should be undertaken;

unpaved roads may lead to dust problems incommunities

2. Vehicles are major sources of air pollution, so bettermaintenance of vehicles and control of vehicularemissions, as for as possible, should be achieved

3. No vehicle should be allowed without proper pollu-tion under control certificate in the port area andhighly polluting vehicles (especially heavy trucks)

should be avoided4. The plantations and green belts all around the port

area and also in the open area should be increased.This reduces air and noise pollution

5. Construction and demolition activities, though tem-porary in nature are important open dust sources.These activities involve a number of separate dust-generating operations that must be quantified todetermine the total emissions from the site and thustheir impact on ambient air quality

6. Burning of waste materials should be avoided7. Emissions from construction operations can be re-

duced by wet suppression

8. Ambient air quality monitoring should be furtherstrengthened by adopting the following recommen-dations

(a) Meteorological monitoring stations should beinstalled at different heights so that the verticalprofile can be assessed and also automatic facil-ities provided for recording meteorological data.This is helpful in estimating the dilution capacityof atmosphere and in air pollution dispersionmodelling

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(b) Monitoring of additional parameters, HC and Pbin the locations, where vehicular pollution is high

(c) Monitoring of PM10 (particulate matter less than10 lm) and CO should be carried out regularlybecause these pollutants directly affect the respi-ratory system

(d) Exposure or health related monitoring of sensitivepopulation subgroups like workers, residents andchildren etc. should be conducted as a safetymeasure.

Management plan to minimize public health impacts

The following control measures can be used to reducethe health impact on persons working in the port andharbour projects.

1. Temporary and permanent workers should receivemedical examination and necessary treatment beforestarting work.

2. Facilities for first aid should be provided at the port

as well as at the construction site.3. Proper sanitation should be provided during con-

struction and operation to minimize spread of dis-eases.

4. Arrangements for quarantine of vessels should bemade in accordance with international practice.

5. In general, it is beneficial to install electrical systemsas opposed to pneumatic ones. It is a good noisereduction strategy.

6. Another possible mitigation measure is properinstallation of machines e.g. providing rubber pad-dings etc. Mufflers should be provided whereverfeasible to muffle the sounds from engines, motors

etc. Head phones and earplugs can be provided toworkers working in noisy environments.

Other pollution control measures

Operation of port and harbour complexes tend to resultin acceptable sanitation conditions if special provisionsfor waste management are included in the planning anddesign stage, such as:

Provision of an adequate water distribution systemincluding pier installations for hose connections to

supply fresh water to ships. Construction of temporary bunds to contain surface

runoff from land sites. Collected runoff should bepassed through retention ponds to collect suspendedsolids before discharge.

Provision of adequate sewage collection, treatmentand disposal systems to serve the entire port/harbourcomplex including a shoreline interceptor for receivingliquid wastes from all shoreline installations. Specialhose connections must be provided to allow ships todischarge sewage, bilge wastes and other liquid wastes

into the sewage collection systems. Without theseprovisions, ships and onshore installations are likelyto discharge their wastewater directly into the harbourwaters. Also, provision should be made for removal ofall floatable materials including oils.

Provision of a comprehensive solid waste manage-ment system for the entire complex including ships.

Provision for control of oil spills at ports and har-bours used for importing/exporting petroleum oil orproducts from oil refineries.

It is advantageous to plan and design a comprehen-sive onshore/offshore sanitary waste operation under asingle management system. For port/harbour complexesthat are located near unconfined coastal waters withhigh diluting/absorbing capacities, it is often feasible todischarge effluents into these waters via a submarineoutfall. This, however, is not acceptable in confinedcoastal or inland waters. Whichever waste disposal sys-tem is selected, periodic monitoring of its effects on theenvironment is essential. This should include monitoringboth inside and outside the port/harbour.

Other pollution control measure should also include:1. Maintenance of water supply and wastewater treat-

ment system2. Collection and disposal of waste from ships and

onshore facilities3. Monitoring and enforcing pollution prevention reg-

ulations affecting vessels4. Carrying out regular monitoring to identify adverse

environmental changes caused by pollution5. Developing a green belt around the industry, which is

an effective method of attenuation of waste residualssubsequent to pollution control measures . Greenbelts absorb air and water pollutants, arrest noise and

soil erosion as well as create favourable climatic andaesthetic conditions.

A case study

A study has been conducted in the port and harbourregion under the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT),New Mumbai, India. This port is situated along theeastern side of the Mumbai harbour opposite the Ele-phanta Island, covering a water area of about 52 km2.The port shares a common channel with Mumbai portup to the point of entry to the South Elephanta channel.

It is about 6 nautical miles by water route from theGateway of India (Gupta et al. 2003a). Figure 2 showsthe map of Mumbai city and the location of JNPT.

Water quality was monitored at six monitoring sta-tions. The stations W1, W2, W3, W4 and W5 were fixed,while station W6 was mobile as shown in Fig. 2. Thewater quality survey was carried out once every month.The survey was arranged in such a way so as to cover thesix stations in two phases covering three stations eachday. To achieve this, three motorized launches wereused, which were anchored at each of the selected sta-

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tions at the time of sample collection. Nensen type watersamplers of 2.5-l capacity were used to take the watersamples at each station at a depth of 1 m below thesurface, at mid-depth and at 1 m above the sea bottom.

The depth at the station was measured before the col-lection of water sample using a lead line. A number ofsamples were collected at each station for both the floodand the ebb tides (Gupta et al. 2003a).

Air quality was monitored at five monitoring stationsand are shown in Fig. 2 (Gupta et al. 2003b). Out ofthese five stations, four were fixed and one was adapt-able, with its location being changed in every monitoringcycle. The fixed stations were the administration build-ing (AB), port operation centre (POC), residential col-ony (RC) and Jaskhar police station (JPS). Theadaptable station was one of the following viz., bulkgate complex (BGC), guest house No.2 (GH2), E2 (nearE2 building), E7 (near E7 building), port users building(PUB) and opposite conveyer belt (OCB).

In this study, the data collected and analysed fromdetailed monitoring of ambient air quality, marine waterquality and meteorological data for a period of 4 yearsare presented. Specific conclusions drawn from the studyare as follows:

1. Air quality of the region is generally good. Overallthe annual average NOx, SO2 and TSP levels werewithin their standards. However, on many occasionsand at some sites the 24-h limit was exceeded, but

could subsequently be reduced by proper mitigationmeasures.

2. Monthly mean concentrations of NOx were in therange of 19.559.0 lg/m3. The NOx concentrationswere observed to be the highest during the winterseason.

3. The concentrations of SO2 increased gradually fromthe year 19972000. This may be due to increase in

port activities and ship traffic, which have an annualgrowth of about 15%.

4. The maximum concentration of NH3 was observed atthe port operation centre site, which is in closeproximity to the location, where loading andunloading of fertilizer is carried out. It was foundthat gaseous and particulate pollutants have theirmaximum values during winter season, while NH3has a maximum value during post-monsoon season,confirming the relation of NH3 to ambient tempera-ture.

5. The TSP concentrations were quite high, particularlyfor the sites situated in the areas, where port activity

is high like loading and unloading of the material,vehicular movement etc. The average TSP values ingeneral showed a higher concentration in winter andsummer months than in the rainy season.

6. PM10 data appears to be a constant fraction of theTSP data throughout the year, indicating commoninfluences of meteorology and sources. Particle sizeanalysis showed PM10 to be 47% of the total TSPconcentration, which is lower than reported forindustrial area and traffic junctions in Mumbai.Anthropogenic sources contribute significantly to the

Fig. 2 Location of study area, water and air quality monitoringstations

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PM10 fraction in an industrial region, while contri-butions from the natural sources are more in a portand harbour area.

7. Marine water quality results do not show any regulartrend. Correlation, regression and factor analyseshave been carried out for the water quality parame-ters. The results show that BOD and DO wereinversely correlated. Factor analysis results show thatout of the eight variables four factors have beendrawn, which represent 74% of the variance of theoriginal data. Over 84% of the variance in suspendedsolid, while 76% of the variance in temperature, BODand turbidity are accounted for, respectively. Ob-served and predicted concentrations at different siteswere quite close to each other.

A comprehensive database with quality assurance andquality control for ambient air and marine water qualityfor a port area has been generated. The monitoring datahas been collected as per the norms prescribed by theregulatory authorities of the country and hence can bevery useful for environmental management of the port.

This study, which deals with a comprehensive andintegrated monitoring and modelling of ambient air andmarine water quality in a port area, can be effectivelyused for the development of rational control and man-agement strategies to reduce pollution levels due tovarious port activities. The results of the study onidentification of sources, hot spots and adverse timeperiods for air pollution have led to the recommendationof the pollution control measures discussed in the pre-vious section for improvement in air and water qualityof the port and harbour region. Some examples of spe-cific pollution control measures are given below:

(a) Suspended particulate matter concentrations were

found to exceed at those stations, which are in closeproximity to the operations area. This is mainly dueto fugitive wind-blown dust during loading andunloading operations and storages. The concentra-tion of particulate matter can be reduced by spray-ing water or suitable chemical over the bulk materialso that wind-blown dust is reduced.

(b) A common preventive technique for the control offugitive particulate emissions is to enclose thesources either fully or partially. Proper bag filters inconveyor belts must be used for collection of dustand the use of conveyor belt should be minimized.Results show that resuspension of dust due to wind

and vehicular movement over the road surface is amajor source. Controlling resuspension of road dustmay be the most effective way of reducing particu-late pollutants in ambient air.

Conclusions

The environmental strategy to control pollution levelsare as follows:

1. The improvement of existing port operations andfacilities, the movement of bulk cargoes out of portswhere the surrounding environment is particularlysensitive to pollution and where modern handlingand storage facilities cannot be provided.

2. The concentration of new capacity in those ports thatare most able to handle larger ships and large vol-umes of cargo and that can therefore justify invest-ment in modern handling equipments which are lesslikely to give rise to pollution.

3. The development of new ports away from environ-mentally sensitive locations, where sufficient landexists for the future expansion of port-related indus-tries. Where ports have to be developed near areas ofenvironmental importance, or with limited backupland, careful design and the incorporation of miti-gation measures will be used to reduce any adverseimpacts to an absolute minimum.

In view of the likely increase in port developmentover the next decade, it is suggested that government inevery country should consider the eventual establish-

ment of a specialist port environmental planning unit,which could be responsible for gathering improved dataon coastal environment in the vicinity of key ports,advising on environmental issues and identifying newpractices, techniques and technologies.

Acknowledgements The authors are very thankful to the manage-ment and staff of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, New Mumbai,India, for providing cooperation and financial support for carryingout the project entitled Environmental Management Plan forJawaharlal Nehru Port Area.

References

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Chua TE (1995b) Marine pollution: development since UNCLOSIII and prospects for regional cooperation. In: Koh KL,Beckman RC, Chia LS (eds) SEAPOL Singapore conference onsustainable development of coastal and ocean areas, past rioperspectives. South East Asia Programme in Ocean Law andManagement, Singapore, pp 144176

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