HomeUrban NewsMMRFactories Endanger Residential Areas Urgent Need for Buffer Zones

Factories Endanger Residential Areas Urgent Need for Buffer Zones

MUMBAI: The encroachment of residential areas into industrial zones in Kalyan-Dombivli has significantly reduced the distance between homes and hazardous factories, increasing the risk to residents. Veerendra Talegaonkar, a resident of Manpada Road in Dombivli (East), recalls a time when residential townships for industrial workers were located at least 1 km away from factories. Today, that buffer has shrunk to mere metres, leading to frequent explosions and fires that damage buildings and occasionally result in fatalities. In 2016, an explosion in the MIDC area caused significant damage to a school and Talegaonkar’s building.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) houses numerous MIDCs, including those in Thane Creek, Kalyan-Dombivli, Ambernath-Badlapur, and Andheri-Marol. These areas alone contain approximately 150 hazardous units, many surrounded by residential zones. “The old buffer rule of 50 metres for non-hazardous and 100 metres for hazardous factories needs to be revisited,” stated a resident of Sudama Nagar in Dombivli. He highlighted that the narrow margins between chemical units and residential buildings necessitate redrawing buffer lines and relocating highly dangerous units.

The industrial areas developed in the 1960s and 1970s have seen old factories shuttered and their land repurposed for corporate parks, malls, and residential complexes. This transformation, however, exposes new establishments to potential industrial mishaps such as boiler blasts or fires. Recent incidents in Dombivli and other MIDCs underscore the risks posed by inadequate development planning. Industrial safety and risk management expert emphasised the lack of buffer zones for residential areas under civic bodies. He cited a 1997 Supreme Court case where a pharma company in Thane was restricted from expanding due to the absence of a buffer zone. Bukkawar advocates for updating development control (DC) rules to mandate at least a 200-metre buffer zone around hazardous industrial units.

Government sources within the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health indicated that the issue is receiving serious consideration. “The government is clear that hazardous chemicals or gas-based units should not be near residential areas,” said an official, noting that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has announced initiatives to address this concern. Industrial safety expert stressed the importance of strictly maintaining buffer zones for major hazardous industries following revisions to the Factories Act of 1948. Urban local bodies must enforce these regulations to protect residents. Bhiwandi serves as a case in point, where coordinated efforts between the town planning department and local bodies resulted in amended DC rules and safety norms, creating more buffer space around frequently fire-prone godowns. The ongoing urbanisation and repurposing of industrial land necessitate urgent revisions to buffer zone regulations to ensure the safety of residents and mitigate the risks associated with industrial hazards.

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