(1).Stone Crushing Units Intruduce:
 

Stone Crushing Industry engaged in producing crushed stones which is the basic raw material for various construction activities such as construction of Roads Highways Bridges, Buildings and Canals etc., is an important industrial sector especially for infrastructure projects. This sector, gives rise to substantial quantity of fine fugitive dust emissions which create health hazards to the workers as well as surrounding population by way of causing respiratory diseases. The dust also adversely affects visibility, reduces growth of vegetation and hampers aesthetics of the area.

Stone crushing units are not stand alone crushing units, but stone mining is also associated with this activity; in fact stone mining is the primary and basic activity for the stone crushing units. Therefore this kind of industrial units need scrutiny while granting permission for environmental and mining operations, especially at the time of NOC (i.e. Consent to Establishment) stage. It should be analyzed in totality. i.e. for both activities.

Due to boom in infrastructure sector especially roads, highways and buildings; several stone crushing units are coming up which poses many challenges to maintain the National Ambient Air Quality Standards and achieve the sustainability. This has necessitated for the development of environment guidelines by the GPCB which are as under:
 

(2).Installation and operations of stone crushing units:
 

Each stone crusher unit shall install adequate pollution control measures including erection of G.I. Sheets cover and the sprinklers before commencement of operations.

Dust doom shall be provided in the unit.

Crusher shall be covered and water sprinkling system shall be provided on crusher to suppress the dust generated due to material handling/loading/unloading activity.

Screen classifier shall be adequately covered by G.I. Sheets to prevent the emission into the atmosphere due to screening/grading activity.

All conveyor belts shall be adequately covered by G.I. Sheet / M.S. sheet only.

Regular wetting of roads shall be carried out to suppress the ground level dust within the premises to control the air borne dust emission due to wind velocity.

All approach roads and ramps shall be metlled.

Curtain or wall shall be provided surrounding the stone crusher unit.

Display board shall be provided at the entrance of stone crusher indicating survey no, name and address of owner and the unit.

Fine dust generated due to screening / crushing / grading shall be disposed off into abandoned mines.
 

(3).Environmental standards:
 

The standards consist of two parts.

I) Implementation of the following pollution control measures.

1. Dust containment cum suppression system for the equipment.

2. Construction of wind breaking walls especially at charging hopper & crushing place.

3. Construction of the metalled roads within the premises.

4.Regular wetting of the ground within the premises.

5. Green belt shall be developed along the periphery.

II) Quantitative standard for the SPM.

The suspended particulate matter measured between 3 to 10 meter from any process equipment of a stone crushing unit shall not exceed 600 microgram per m3 .