Date:14/03/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/03/14/stories/2003031401591300.htm

National

A charter to protect the environment

By Our Staff Correspondent

NEW DELHI MARCH 13. The Ministry of Environment and Forests today released a charter on "Corporate Responsibility for Environmental Protection", a mutually-agreed document between the Government and industrial houses, incorporating voluntary initiatives by 17 identified categories of industries to ensure total compliance with pollution control norms.

The charter is the outcome of a four-month-long discussion among the Central and the State Governments, pollution control boards and 17 major polluting industries.

The measures to be taken by the industry include modernisation and technological upgradation of production processes, changing over to new technologies, waste minimisation through reduced use of sources and recycling waste, installation of pollution control and monitoring equipment, improving the housekeeping practices and furnishing of bank guarantees by the defaulting industries till compliance is ensured.

Talking to reporters, the Union Environment and Forests Minister, T.R. Baalu, said the charter was primarily aimed at safeguarding the environment in the future because most industries were adhering to pollution control norms and hence they had been given time to come up to the standards set in the charter.

This was the first private-public partnership of its kind without any compromise by the Government.

Of the 17 most polluting industries, the sugar industry has agreed to reduce wastewater generation to 100 litres a tonne of cane sugar crushed by April 2004 from the present consumption of 400 litres a tonne. The target will be met by December 2004. The pharmaceutical industry has agreed to take up segregation of waste streams for providing appropriate treatment by December 2003. A similar commitment has been made by the pesticide industry.

With 232 distillery units, the industry has agreed that non-compliant distilleries will furnish bank guarantees and action plans to the State pollution control boards to ensure compliance.

Water consumption will be reduced by the leather and fertilizer industry by December 2003. The 126-unit strong cement industry has agreed that non-complying units will take up augmentation of existing air pollution control devices by July 2003 and their replacement by July 2004.

Similar steps will be taken by the thermal power plants by December 2005 while the new oil refineries will have sulphur recovery units with 99 per cent efficiency. All the refineries located in the critically polluted areas, identified by the CPCB, will submit an action plan within six months for phased reduction of sulphur dioxide.

Emission of cancer causing-gases through leakages in the iron and steel industry will be checked by March 2008 and fluoride emission will be reduced by 50 per cent in the aluminium plants.