Chennai Port to turn eco-friendly to reduce carbon footprint

The Chennai Port is developing a green belt on 31 acre inside the port to reduce the carbon footprint, besides ensuring ambient air quality parameters to make the port a clean and green one. The authorities have planned to implement the Green Belt scheme in a systematic way. As reported, IT-Madras and environmental experts have conducted an Emission Inventory and Source Apportionment study in the vicinity of the port and adjoining areas. A dispersion model is being finalised to ascertain the contribution of cargo handling in Chennai Port to the ambient air quality in the residential neighbourhood. There are also plans to have an environment monitoring cell manned by a professional environmental expert, and trained engineers are being set up for data generation and management. The port has, reportedlty, already commissioned Continuous On line Ambient Air Quality Monitoring (CAAQM) stations as per the recommendations of Technical Sub-Committee of the Empowered Committee to monitor Ambient Air Quality levels at the port as part of the measure to enable dust-free handling of cargo at the port.