Dust collectors installed on grain cleaners

 Tribune News Service

Patiala, December 14

To effectively control dust particles and pollution, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has installed dust collectors on mechanical grain cleaners in grain markets. 

During the rabi and kharif season, dust is generated by mechanical cleaners while cleaning grains, which adversely affects those present close to them. 

High level of dust particles leads to health hazards, resulting mainly in asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, cardiovascular diseases, accelerated ageing of lungs, loss of lungs capacity and restricted cognitive development of children. 

This year in October, the PPCB had collected ambient air samples of 10 leading grains markets of Punjab and found that the level of respirable particulate matter was at least 5-8 times higher than the prescribed limit of 100 µgm/m 3.

The PPCB wrote a letter to the Secretary, Punjab Mandi Board in this regard. It considered dust pollution as a menace and started making efforts to deal with it. After discussions with commission agents, farmers, shopkeeper and other stake holders, the PPCB has developed a dust collector which is fixed on the mechanical grain cleaners and effectively controls 80-90 per cent of the dust particles.

Kahan Singh Pannu, Chairman, PPCB, said, “There are about 50,000 mechanical cleaners installed in the grain markets of Punjab and on each cleaner, six labourers work together. Besides about three lakh labourers and farmers, commission agents, shopkeepers and residents are affected by the dust pollution. With the installation of dust collectors, about 90 per cent dust is collected and filled in bags.”

He added that in the coming wheat season, the PPCB was in the process of making it mandatory to install dust collectors on mechanical grain cleaners in the state.