Clean Techn Environ Policy (2005) 7: 133-141 DOI 10.

1007/s10098-004-0266-7

ORIGINAL PAPER

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
air pollutants can affect local as well as regional air

Abstract Port activities can cause deterioration of air and

marine water quality in the surrounding areas due to
multifarious activities. Hence, for the determination of
levels of pollution, identification of pollution sources,
control and disposal of waste from various point and
non-point sources and for prediction of pollution levels
for future, regular monitoring and assessment are required during the entire construction and operation phase
of a major port. It is extremely essential that port and
harbour projects should have an environmental
management plan (EMP), which also incorporates
monitoring of air and marine water quality along with the
collection of online meteorological data throughout the
life of the project. This paper presents the environmental
impacts due to various port activities and their sources
and also discusses the EMP for different pollution
prevention, protection and control measures.

Introduction
More than 50% of the world population lives close to the
coast, of which more than 300 million inhabit the coastal
urban cities (Chau 1999; Chua and Ross 1998). There are
significant increases in maritime trade among various
countries as we enter the twenty first century. To meet the
increasing demands of population and
A. K. Gupta (El)
Department of Civil Engineering,
Indian Institute of Technology,
Kharagpur, 721302, India Email:
agupta@civil.iitkgp.ernet.in Tel.:
+91-3222-283428 Fax: +913222-255303
S. K. Gupta R. S. Patil
Centre for Environmental Science and Engineering,
Indian Institute of Technology,
Bombay, 400076, India requirements of the industries, new

ports are being constructed or existing ports are being

expanded throughout the world. This would definitely
facilitate commercial and economic growth but the port
activities are also likely to cause deterioration of air and
marine water quality in the surrounding areas. A port can
lead to severe pollution problem, over a large area due to
the multifarious activities. The increase in emissions of

quality (Galloway 1989; Gupta et al. 2002; Rodhe 1989;

Streets et al. 2000). With the increase in volume of
shipping traffic into and within the region, sea-based
pollution is also a source of concern, especially along
heavily congested shipping routes (Chua 1995a, b). Oil
and chemical spills from ships, either from operational
activities or catastrophic accidents (i.e. grounding or
collision), also cause health hazards.
Maritime development usually generates local environmental problems; however, development associated
with sensitive estuaries or inland or freshwater rivers
may yield regional scale problems. The impacts on
environment will differ from place to place depending
upon the variations of geography, hydrology, geology,
ecology, types of shipping, industrialization and urbanization. Hence, for the determination of levels of pollution, identification of pollution sources, control and
disposal of waste from various point and non-point
sources and for prediction of pollution levels for future,
regular monitoring and assessment are required during
the entire construction and operation phase for a major
port. It is mandatory that port and harbour projects
should have an environmental management plan (EMP),
which includes monitoring of air and marine water
quality along with the collection of online meteorological
data throughout the life of the project throughout the
world.
This paper tries to identify not only the environmental
impact caused or induced by various port activities and
their sources but also discusses different prevention,
protection and control measures for air and water
pollution, which will be helpful in evolving an
appropriate EMP for a specific port and harbour projects.

Identification of impacts
Ports and harbours are located either in marine/estuarine 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 operations, materials disposal, shorezone development,
increased maritime traffic and vehicular traffic in the
port can results in the release of natural and anthropogenic contaminants to the environment. The pollution
problems usually caused by port and harbour activities
can be categorized as follows:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

7.

Coastal habitats may be destroyed and navigational

channels silted due to causeway construction and land
reclamation.
Unregulated mariculture activities in the port and harbour
areas may threaten navigation safety.
Deterioration of surface water quality may occur during
both the construction and operation phases.
Harbour operations may produce sewage, bilge wastes,
solid waste and leakage of harmful materials both from
shore and ships.
Human and fish health may be affected by contamination of
coastal water due to urban effluent discharge.
Oil pollution is one of the major environmental hazards
resulting from port/harbour and shipping operations. This
includes bilge oil released from commercial ships handling
non-oil cargo as well as the more common threat from oil
tankers.
Air pollutant emissions due to ship emissions, loading and
unloading activities, construction emission and emissions
due to vehicular movement.

Impact on surface water quality

The construction of man-made structures and alteration of
natural waters can lead to direct and indirect impacts on the
water body and ecosystem. Deterioration in surface water
quality can occur during both the construction and operation
phases. During the construction phase, pollution may result
from soil run off and sanitary waste from labour force.
Dredging and reclamation result in the formation of plumes
of suspended sediments around dredgers, reclamation outfalls
and dumping grounds. Dredging and dredge spoil disposal
activities for port development and maintenance can induce
short- and long-term impacts on aquatic systems, namely
degradation of marine resources such as beaches, estuaries,
coral reefs and fisheries; resuspension and settlement of
sediments, portioning of toxic contaminants and reintroduction
to the water column; contaminant uptake by and accumulation
in fish and shellfish, increased turbidity causing decrease in
light penetration and associated photosynthetic activity, shortterm depletions of dissolved oxygen levels; modified
bathymetry causing changes in circulation; possible saltwater
intrusion to ground-water; inland surface water; altered species
diversity and structure of benthic communities; fluctuations in
water chemistry, changes in shoreline structure; loss of habitat
and fisheries resources.
Harbour operation can produce sewage, bilge wastes, solid
waste, oil discharges and leakages of harmful materials both
from shore and ships. Tens of thousands of chemicals are used
to meet societys technological and economic needs. Many of
these chemicals find their way into the marine environment;
therefore, it is important to ascertain whether the complex
mixtures of chemicals found in coastal waters are causing
adverse biological effects on marine organisms. There are two
basic ways by which chemical contaminants can affect living
marine resources: (1) by directly affecting the exposed
organisms own health and survival, and (2) by contaminating

those fisheries resources that other species, including humans,

may consume.

Impact on air quality

Air quality in a port area can be affected by dust and
particulates from traffic (resuspension of road dust), site
clearing, rock excavation and construction activity, and
emissions from vehicles bringing materials to the site and from
ships and construction equipments. The photochemical
reactions (complex chain reactions between sunlight and
gaseous pollutants), emissions from burning waste materials
and escaping dust (due to handling of fine-particulate materials
such as fertilizers and minerals) are also major sources of air
pollution in port areas. Air quality can also be affected by
secondary developments such as urbanization and increased
vehicular traffic.
Ship emissions are the main source of SO 2 in port and
harbour areas. Total emissions from major shipping activities
are estimated to be 236,000 tonne SO 2 per year. Emissions
from port activities account for about 4.5% of total shipping
emissions, or 10,620 tonne SO 2 per year (Streets et al. 1997).
Generally, the cheapest grades of residual oil, containing as
much as 5% sulphur, are being used to fuel the commercial
fleets. The average sulphur content of marine fuel oils is about
2.8%. In 1997, the International Convention for the Prevention
of Pollution from Ships (commonly known as the MARPOL
convention) approved a global cap of 4.5% on the sulphur
content of marine fuel oils (Streets et al. 2000). A significant
fraction of more than 10% of the global NO x production is
emitted from ocean going ships burning fossil fuels (Lawrence
and Crutzen 1999).

Impacts on human health

Impacts on human health can be broadly categorized as:
1.

Hazards/accidents both onshore and offshore from handling

of hazardous materials such as flammables, explosives and
toxics from vessel collisions
2. Communicable diseases
3. Noise from construction equipment/activity, vehicles, cargo
handling equipment and ship and port public address
systems/sirens
4. Respiratory illness from escaping dust and particulates.
Most health impacts (except communicable diseases) will
generally be confined to the immediate port vicinity/ work
environment. Occupational health programmes should be
established and provisions should be made for adequate
medical emergency services.

Best available techniques

Major port expansion and the development of new ports offer
the opportunity to introduce the use of the most up-to-date
techniques and equipment for port construction, maintenance,
operation, cargo handling and storage. Significant advances in
techniques and technologies have been made in recent years in
these fields to reduce the environmental impacts if correctly
handled.
The International Organization of Standardization (ISO) has
formulated the Environmental Management System (EMS)
under ISO 14000. Similarly, most of Europe adopts a system
known as BATNEEC. BAT- NEEC is a concept relating to
environmental protection that helps define good practice and is
becoming increasingly popular internationally, particularly
within the European Community. Ports and harbours are
seeking certification under ISO 14000 or its equivalent.

EMP for a port and harbour

Fig. 1 Components and strategies
for environmental management
plan (EMP)

The EMP should generally

include information on the
generation and treatment of solid
waste, liquid and gaseous
effluents, details of safety
measures around the project, and
details of the safety organization
including key personnel. The
various strategies for EMP are
summarized in Fig. 1.
An EMP is formulated to
mitigate the adverse impacts
arising out of any developmental
programme. An EMP should
ensure that resources are used
with maximum efficiency, waste

generation is minimized, residuals are treated adequately and

products are recovered and recycled to the maximum extent
possible. Stress should be laid on low waste or cleaner
technologies.
An EMP is a required part of environmental impact
assessment of a new port project but could also be evolved for
existing ports. It is useful both during the construction and
operational phases of the new port but only for operation of
existing ports to ensure the effectiveness of the mitigation
measures and to give guidance as to the most appropriate way
of dealing with any unforeseen effects. A regular monitoring
programme needs to be specified in order to check that environmental measures are working and to alert port and pollution
control boards to any pollution or other environmental
problems that might occur during either the construction or
operational phase of the project. A number of important issues
needs to be included in the EMP, namely:

- The review, and where necessary, updating of disaster

management plans for all ports, particularly procedures and
management responsibilities. The adequacy of equipments
for handling oil and related liquid bulk spills and other
emergencies should be assessed in the light of increased
traffic since the facility was opened.
- The review of dredging practices, the toxicity of the dredged
material and the disposal location.
- Improving the handling facilities for dry bulk cargoes,
especially for coal and iron ore. This is potentially a costly
exercise and will inevitably be constrained by financial
considerations.
- Providing facilities for collection and disposal of waste oil and
solid waste (garbage) in accordance with the marine
pollution convention. Collection facilities need to be
conveniently located for ships, open at hours to suit ship
movements.
-

Hazardous waste materials should be separately collected

and disposed off at the designated site.
Health related monitoring should be performed on the
workers who are working in bulk storage area and
handling chemicals.
Facilities need to be brought to the attention of shippers to
encourage their use. The location of the treatment or
disposal facilities needs to be carefully planned so as not
to give rise to negative environmental impacts elsewhere,
particularly in the case of garbage disposal.
Adopting mitigation techniques for reducing the pollutant
concentration like green belt/plantation, conservation of
water and energy etc. Various other considerations to
control air and water quality in the port and harbour
region are discussed below.

Management plan during dredging operation in the

port area
A comprehensive dredging and dredged materials management
plan should be considered for the port and harbour facilities to
ensure that project can be carried out with minimum
environmental effects. Both capital and maintenance dredging
affect water quality; particularly turbidity and this in turn can
marginally affect marine ecology and fisheries. Capital
dredging has high potential to disperse the fine-grained
sediment in the water column, thereby increasing the particular
load. The initial screening for evaluating disposal options is
based on physical and chemical analysis for geotechnical
character and the presence of contaminants in the sediments.
Depending on the physical and chemical character 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 approach channels
and harbour basins to maintain depth and width and ensure safe
access for large vessels. The dredged materials from
maintenance dredging typically present a greater disposal
problem than deeper sediments removed during construction
dredging, since surficial sediments are composed of recently

deposited materials that are usually contaminated. These

younger sediments usually contain natural and anthropogenic
contaminants and can arrive from atmospheric fallout; erosion
of local, surface and channel banks; fallout from biological
activity in the water column; sediment transport from inland
waters; point source discharges and surface runoff from the
surrounding area. To mitigate potential contaminant
passing from the port area, it should be addressed through
proper design of storm water handling and treatment
facilities; placement of sewage and wastewater outfalls;
compatibility of local land use (e.g. proximity of agriculture
fields or mining operations), procedures for handling
hazardous materials and types of industries permitted to
operate in the port area.
Disposal must be in accordance with applicable regulations.
Also, long-term monitoring of the dredging process and
disposal may be required. Mitigation measures recommended
for reducing the release of sediments and fines into the main
water body could include:
- Containment of the work area with a silt curtain to prevent
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 economically
important fish stocks or protected or rare species
- Plan for minimizing impacts on local flora and fauna, and
screen for the presence of rare, threatened or endangered
species that are indigenous to the project location
- Monitor local air quality and reduce operations if unacceptable
quality arises.
Management plan to improve marine water quality in the
port area
1.

2.
3.
4.

The drains and outfall should be cleaned regularly to avoid

anaerobic decomposition and also for proper flow of
water/wastewater. This will also enable the characterization
of wastewater and calculation of waste load
Domestic and canteen wastewater should be discharged only
after proper treatment
The solid waste generated from the canteen and other
diffused sources should be collected and disposed off
properly
The discharge of oil waste into the sea from the following
main sources should be controlled

(a) Discharge of oil waste from liquid chemical corridor

area. This liquid waste is generated during tanker
cleaning and oils spills during filling operations
(b) Oil spills at berth during unloading operations
(c) Tanker ballast discharge from ships
5. The discharge of solid waste and sewage from ships should
be controlled. It should be disposed/discharged only after
proper treatment
6. Bulk material should not be disposed into the sea. All
drains and roads should be cleaned before the rainy season

7.

8.
9.

to avoid runoff from land to sea carrying a myriad of

pollutants including chemicals
Temporary bunds should be constructed to contain surface
runoff from land sites. Collected runoff should be passed
through retention ponds to collect suspended solids before
discharge
A treatment system should be provided at the construction
camp. This could either be a package plant or a septic tank
A conventional activated sludge sewage treatment plant is
not considered to be appropriate for port operations owing
to fluctuations in the volume and characteristics. The
following alternatives for treatment are more appropriate

(a) Either an anaerobic pond followed by facultative and

polishing off ponds discharging to a near shore outfall
(b) An anaerobic pond discharging to an offshore outfall
2.
10. Sanitary effluents should not be discharged into the harbour
itself
11. Oily wastewaters (from fuel storage tanks, maintenance 3.
shops, ships bilge water, tank washings) and runoff from
dirty areas of the port (vehicle marshalling, parking and
fuel storage areas) should all be collected and passed 4.
through an oil water separator before discharge.
Wastewater may be returned to storm water system after
treatment
5.
12. Reception facilities for oily wastes from ships should be
provided and their use should be enforced by monitoring.
Penalties may be imposed for oily discharges in and around
the port
13. Regular monitoring of water quality should be carried out 6.
within the port and in adjacent waters during operation to 7.
identify adverse environmental changes.
8.
Management plan to improve air quality in the port and
harbour region

Proper bag filters in conveyor belts must be used for

collection of dust and use of conveyor belts should be
minimized
Resuspension of dust is due to wind and vehicular
movement over the road surface. Controlling resuspension
of road dust may be the most effective way of reducing
particulate pollutant. There are various 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 in communities
Vehicles are major sources of air pollution, so better
maintenance of vehicles and control of vehicular emissions,
as for as possible, should be achieved
No vehicle should be allowed without proper pollution
under control certificate in the port area and highly polluting
vehicles (especially heavy trucks) should be avoided
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
Construction and demolition activities, though temporary in
nature are important open dust sources. These activities
involve a number of separate dust- generating operations
that must be quantified to determine the total emissions from
the site and thus their impact on ambient air quality
Burning of waste materials should be avoided
Emissions from construction operations can be reduced by
wet suppression
Ambient air quality monitoring should be further
strengthened by adopting the following recommendations
(a) Meteorological monitoring stations should be installed at
different heights so that the vertical profile can be
assessed and also automatic facilities provided for
recording meteorological data. This is helpful in
estimating the dilution capacity of atmosphere and in air
pollution dispersion modelling
(b) Monitoring of additional parameters, HC and Pb in the
locations, where vehicular pollution is high
(c) Monitoring of PM10 (particulate matter less than 10 im)
and CO should be carried out regularly because these
pollutants directly affect the respiratory system
(d) Exposure or health related monitoring of sensitive
population subgroups like workers, residents and
children etc. should be conducted as a safety measure.

1.

To control the fugitive emissions during loading and

unloading and storing operations, the following actions
have to be taken

Spraying of water or suitable chemical over the bulk

material so that wind blown dust is reduced
A common preventive technique for the control of fugitive
particulate emission is to enclose the sources either fully or
partially. Enclosures prevent or inhibit particulate matter
from becoming air borne as a result of disturbance created
by wind or by mechanical entrainment resulting from the
operation of the source itself. Enclosure also helps to
contain those emissions that are generated. They can
consist of either some type of permanent structure or
temporary arrangement
It is also observed that during loading and unloading Management plan to minimize public health impacts
operations considerable dust is generated which may be The following control measures can be used to reduce
chemical in nature. This could be harmful to the health of the health impact on persons working in the port and
working staff, hence, masks should be provided to all staff harbour projects.
working at the site and also periodic check of their health
1. Temporary and permanent workers should receive medical
should be carried out
examination and necessary treatment before starting work.
Bulk material should be transported in closed trucks to
avoid wind entrainment

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Facilities for first aid should be provided at the port as well

as at the construction site.
Proper sanitation should be provided during construction and
operation to minimize spread of diseases.
Arrangements for quarantine of vessels should be made in
accordance with international practice.
In general, it is beneficial to install electrical systems as
opposed to pneumatic ones. It is a good noise reduction
strategy.
Another possible mitigation measure is proper installation of
machines e.g. providing rubber paddings etc. Mufflers
should be provided wherever feasible to muffle the sounds
from engines, motors etc. Head phones and earplugs can be
provided to workers working in noisy environments.

Other pollution control measures

Operation of port and harbour complexes tend to result in
acceptable sanitation conditions if special provisions for waste
management are included in the planning and design stage,
such as:
- Provision of an adequate water distribution system including
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 be passed through
retention ponds to collect suspended solids before discharge.
- Provision of adequate sewage collection, treatment and disposal
systems to serve the entire port/harbour complex including a
shoreline interceptor for receiving liquid wastes from all
shoreline installations. Special hose connections must be
provided to allow ships to discharge sewage, bilge wastes
and other liquid wastes into the sewage collection systems.
Without these provisions, ships and onshore installations are
likely to discharge their wastewater directly into the harbour
waters. Also, provision should be made for removal of all
floatable materials including oils.
- Provision of a comprehensive solid waste management system
for the entire complex including ships.
- Provision for control of oil spills at ports and harbours used for
importing/exporting petroleum oil or products from oil
refineries.

2.
3.
4.
5.

Collection and disposal of waste from ships and

onshore facilities
Monitoring and enforcing pollution prevention regulations
affecting vessels
Carrying out regular monitoring to identify adverse
environmental changes caused by pollution
Developing a green belt around the industry, which is an
effective method of attenuation of waste residuals
subsequent to pollution control measures . Green belts
absorb air and water pollutants, arrest noise and soil erosion
as well as create favourable climatic and aesthetic
conditions.

A case study
A study has been conducted in the port and harbour region
under the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), New Mumbai,
India. This port is situated along the eastern side of the Mumbai
harbour opposite the Ele- phanta Island, covering a water area
of about 52 km1. The port shares a common channel with
Mumbai port up to the point of entry to the South Elephanta
channel. It is about 6 nautical miles by water route from the
Gateway of India (Gupta et al. 2003a). Figure 2 shows the map
of Mumbai city and the location of JNPT.

It is advantageous to plan and design a comprehensive

onshore/offshore sanitary waste operation under a single
management system. For port/harbour complexes that are
located near unconfined coastal waters with high
diluting/absorbing capacities, it is often feasible to discharge
effluents into these waters via a submarine outfall. This,
however, is not acceptable in confined coastal or inland waters.
Whichever waste disposal system is selected, periodic
monitoring of its effects on the environment is essential. This
should include monitoring both inside and outside the
port/harbour.
Other pollution control measure should also include:
1.

Maintenance of water supply and wastewater treatment

system

1the annual average NOx, SO2 and TSP levels were

2.
Monthl
y mean
concentrations of
NOx were in the
range of 19.559.0 ig/m2. The
NOx
concentrations
were observed to
be the highest
during the winter
season.
3. The

02000

Distance in X-direction (m)

0006000

*000

10000

12190

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

Water quality was monitored at six monitoring stations. The

concentrations of SO2 increased gradually from the year
stations W1, W2, W3, W4 and W5 were fixed, while station
1997-2000. This may be due to increase in port activities
W6 was mobile as shown in Fig. 2. The water quality survey
and ship traffic, which have an annual growth of about 15%.
was carried out once every month. The survey was arranged in 4. The maximum concentration of NH 3 was observed at the
such a way so as to cover the six stations in two phases
port operation centre site, which is in close proximity to the
covering three stations each day. To achieve this, three
location, where loading and unloading of fertilizer is carried
motorized launches were used, which were anchored at each of
out. It was found that gaseous and particulate pollutants
the selected stations at the time of sample collection. Nensen
have their maximum values during winter season, while NH 3
type water samplers of 2.5-l capacity were used to take the
has a maximum value during post-monsoon season,
water samples at each station at a depth of 1 m below the
confirming the relation of NH3 to ambient temperature.
surface, at mid-depth and at 1 m above the sea bottom. The 5. The TSP concentrations were quite high, particularly for the
depth at the station was measured before the col lection of water
sites situated in the areas, where port activity is high like
sample using a lead line. A number of samples were collected
loading and unloading of the material, vehicular movement
at each station for both the flood and the ebb tides (Gupta et al.
etc. The average TSP values in general showed a higher
2003a).
concentration in winter and summer months than in the
Air quality was monitored at five monitoring stations and
rainy season.
are shown in Fig. 2 (Gupta et al. 2003b). Out of these five 6. PM10 data appears to be a constant fraction of the TSP data
stations, four were fixed and one was adaptable, with its
throughout the year, indicating common influences of
location being changed in every monitoring cycle. The fixed
meteorology and sources. Particle size analysis showed
stations were the administration building (AB), port operation
PM10 to be 47% of the total TSP concentration, which is
centre (POC), residential colony (RC) and Jaskhar police
lower than reported for industrial area and traffic junctions
station (JPS). The adaptable station was one of the following
in Mumbai. Anthropogenic sources contribute significantly
viz., bulk gate complex (BGC), guest house No.2 (GH2), E2
to the
(near E2 building), E7 (near E7 building), port users building
(PUB) and opposite conveyer belt (OCB).
In this study, the data collected and analysed from detailed
monitoring of ambient air quality, marine water quality and
meteorological data for a period of 4 years are presented.
Specific conclusions drawn from the study are as follows: could
2within their standards. However, on many occasions and at
subsequently be reduced by proper mitigation measures.
some sites the 24-h limit was exceeded, but

7.

PM10 fraction in an industrial region, while contributions 1.

from the natural sources are more in a port and harbour
area.
Marine water quality results do not show any regular trend.
Correlation, regression and factor analyses have been
carried out for the water quality parameters. The results 2.
show that BOD and DO were inversely correlated. Factor
analysis results show that out of the eight variables four
factors have been drawn, which represent 74% of the
variance of the original data. Over 84% of the variance in 3.
suspended solid, while 76% of the variance in temperature,
BOD and turbidity are accounted for, respectively. Observed and predicted concentrations at different sites were
quite close to each other.

A comprehensive database with quality assurance and

quality control for ambient air and marine water quality for a
port area has been generated. The monitoring data has been
collected as per the norms prescribed by the regulatory
authorities of the country and hence can be very useful for
environmental management of the port.
This study, which deals with a comprehensive and
integrated monitoring and modelling of ambient air and marine
water quality in a port area, can be effectively used for the
development of rational control and management strategies to
reduce pollution levels due to various port activities. The
results of the study on identification of sources, hot spots and
adverse time periods for air pollution have led to the
recommendation of the pollution control measures discussed in
the previous section for improvement in air and water quality
of the port and harbour region. Some examples of specific
pollution control measures are given below:
(a) Suspended particulate matter concentrations were found to
exceed at those stations, which are in close proximity to the
operations area. This is mainly due to fugitive wind-blown
dust during loading and unloading operations and storages.
The concentration of particulate matter can be reduced by
spraying water or suitable chemical over the bulk material
so that wind-blown dust is reduced.
(b) A common preventive technique for the control of fugitive
particulate emissions is to enclose the sources either fully
or partially. Proper bag filters in conveyor belts must be
used for collection of dust and 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 a major source. Controlling resuspension of road
dust may be the most effective way of reducing particulate
pollutants in ambient air.

Conclusions
The environmental strategy to control pollution levels are as
follows:

The improvement of existing port operations and facilities,

the movement of bulk cargoes out of ports where the
surrounding environment is particularly sensitive to
pollution and where modern handling and storage facilities
cannot be provided.
The concentration of new capacity in those ports that are
most able to handle larger ships and large volumes of cargo
and that can therefore justify investment in modern handling
equipments which are less likely to give rise to pollution.
The development of new ports away from environmentally
sensitive locations, where sufficient land exists for the
future expansion of port-related industries. Where ports
have to be developed near areas of environmental
importance, or with limited backup land, careful design and
the incorporation of mitigation measures will be used to
reduce any adverse impacts to an absolute minimum.

In view of the likely increase in port development over the

next decade, it is suggested that government in every country
should consider the eventual establishment of a specialist port
environmental planning unit, which could be responsible for
gathering improved data on coastal environment in the vicinity
of key ports, advising on environmental issues and identifying
new practices, techniques and technologies.
Acknowledgements The authors are very thankful to the management and
staff of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, New Mumbai, India, for providing
cooperation and financial support for carrying out the project entitled
Environmental Management Plan for Jawaharlal Nehru Port Area.

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1.Air quality of the region is generally good. Overall