INDUSTRIES MUST ADOPT ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITING AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
: T.R. BAALU
PROGRESS
IN IMPLEMENTATION OF CREP REVIEWED
The Minister for
Environment & Forests, Shri T.R. Baalu has called upon industries
to adopt environmental auditing and management system to achieve
targets set for reducing pollution level. Addressing a Review
Meeting of follow up action by the Task Forces on Corporate Responsibility
for Environment Protection (CREP) here today, Shri Baalu said
for self monitoring of emissions and effluents and for proper
operation of pollution control devices, the industries need to
set up environmental cells with trained personnel. He said, "mere
enacting laws will not be enough and we need to shift from the
command and control regime to self-regulation."
Based on a series
of industry-sector wise interaction, the Ministry of Environment
& Forests launched a Charter on Corporate Responsibility for
Environmental Protection (CREP) in March 2003. The Charter enlists
the action points for pollution control through various measures
including waste minimization, in-plant process control and adoption
of clean technologies. For monitoring implementation of the Charter,
Task forces comprising representatives of the Ministry, Central
and State Pollution Control Boards, Industry Associations and
Experts have been constituted.
All the Task Forces
have since completed one round of meeting to monitor the progress
so far made by respective industry sectors. In certain cases,
field visits have been made for on-site inspection. The State
Pollution Control Boards have also been asked to monitor implementation
of the Charter in respect of industries in their states.
Today’s meeting was
attended by the Task Force members, senior officials of the Ministry,
Pollution Control Boards and Industry representatives.
Addressing the meeting
Minister of State for Environment & Forests, Sh. Dilip Singh
Ju Dev said that the Charter on Corporate Responsibility for Environmental
Protection is futuristic document and could prove a major milestone
in the history of the country to make industries environment friendly.
Based on the findings
of monitoring by the Task Forces, some important initiatives have
been taken by various industries for voluntary compliance of the
Charter. These include the following :
- Ensure that for Aluminium industry
only pre-baked technology (clean technology) be allowed for
new projects/expansion projects.
- Existing pre-baked technology
for Aluminium production, the emission of fluoride reduced from
1.0Kg/tonne to 0.8 Kg/tonne.
- Reviewed the list of non compliant
cement industry, thermal power plants and iron and steel plants
and asked SPCBs to take Bank guarantee (BG) with action plan
from non-compliant cement industry, thermal power plants and
iron and steel industry.
- Ensured that new thermal power
plants will meet 100 mg/nm3 particulate matter standard and
adopt dry fly ash extraction or medium (35-40%) ash concentration
slurry disposal system.
- New guidelines for stack height
have been developed considering ventilation co-efficient.
- Policy for use of beneficiated
coal as per CREP recommendation have been finalised.
- SPCB to take bank guarantee from
non compliant steel plants who are not complying PLD, PLO, limit
for coke plants.
- Ensured that all steel plants
are using tar sludge/oily sludge/ETP sludge in blast furnace.
- Reviewed the scheme of utilisation
of blast furnace/steel meeting shop sslag of steel plant.
- Reduction of sulphur dioxide emission
from refineries located in critically polluted/sensitive areas.
- Refineries have achieved waster
water discharge limit of 0.4 m3/tonne of crude processed.
- 109 tannery units in Kolkata joined
together for establishing of two modules of Common Chrome Recovery
System (CCRS) in the leather complex with financial support
from MoEF.
- The Paper & Pulp Mill Association
have been asked to submit proposals for Common Chemical Recovery
System within 3 months.
- All new urea plants will have
urea prilling towers based on natural draft.
- By June 2004, all fertilizer units
will meet total fluoride emission limit of 25 mg/Nm3
