Savitri river fumes after sulphur gets washed in

Mumbai: Toxic fumes emanated from the Savitri river bed in Mahad on Sunday after large quantities of sulphur were washed into the river.

Locals stated that a truck carrying sulphur from the Mahad Industrial Estate had toppled near Crocodile Point in Mahad about 15 days ago, The accident led to heaps of sulphur laying unattended on the road for days.

Later on Sunday, the sulphur got washed into the adjacent Savitri river due to heavy rains, causing a reaction with the flowing water and leading to hazardous fumes emanating from the site.

Locals and environmentalists claimed that some part of the littered sulphur was still present at the site and raised concerns over the possibility of an untoward incident. “Even though the truck toppled two weeks ago, sulphur, which is known as a reactive element, was lying there for almost 15 days. None of the state and civic agencies tried to remove it from the site. Even the truck owner and manufacturer turned a blind eye towards it,” said a local activist, requesting anonymity.

Activists also raised concern about the river’s crocodile population being affected by the sulphur. “It is a well-known fact that sulphur reacts with water to form sulfurous acid. Sulfurous acid is a highly corrosive chemical that is potentially explosive in concentrated form. It can also pose danger to the natural ecology of the river and its crocodiles,” said Godfrey Pimenta, trustee of NGO Watchdog, who wrote to the state and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) about the matter.

“We have inspected the site and a FIR has been registered in the matter in the police station. The truck was going from the Angre port in Jaigad; we have written to the Ratnagiri division as well on the issue,” said a MPCB officer.