13th March, 2003
Ministry of Environment & Forests  


CHARTER ON CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGREEMENTS AND EXPECTED GAINS FOR ENVIRONMENT

RAJYA SABHA

The Charter on Corporate Responsibility for Environment Protection has been released by the Environment & Forests Minister Shri T.R. Baalu and the Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Shri Balasaheb Vikhe Patil. The Charter was released at the Conference of representatives of Central and State Governments, Pollution Control Boards and 17 major polluting industries here today.

Shri Baalu said that the Charter is an outcome of four month long discussions among all the concerned and it incorporates the voluntary initiatives and actions by the identified categories of industries to ensure total complaince with pollution control norms and standards by the industry. The measures to be taken by the industry include modernisation and technological upgradation of production process, changing over to new technologies, waste minimisation through reduced use of sources and recycling wastes installation of pollution , control and monitoring equipment, improving the housekeeping practices, furnishing of bank guarantees by the defaulting industries till compliance is ensured etc.

Categorywise agreements and the expected environmental benefits through implementation of action points contained in the Charter are as follows :

1. Sugar Industry

With 525 sugar plants the industry has agreed to reduce waste water generation to 100 litres per tonne of cane crushed by April 2004 from the present consumption of 400 litres per tonne of cane crushed and to achieve zero discharge in inland surface water bodies by December 2004. Particulate matter emission will be brought down by 40% to 80% by bringing down the emission level to 150 mg per cubic meter from the present range of 250 to 800 mg per cubic meter. This will be done by replacing old boilers and installing air pollution control systems.

2. Pharmaceuticals

Comprising of 379 units pharmaceutical, industry has agreed to take up segregation of waste streams for providing appropriate treatment by December 2003. Proper facilities will be provided for handling and storage of hazardous wastes. Non-incinerable hazardous wastes will be disposed of in properly designed secure landfilll by March 2004.

3. Distilleries

With 232 distillery units the industry has greed that non-compliant distilleries will furnish bank guarantees and action plans to concerned state pollution control boards to ensure compliance. 100% utilisation of spentwash will be achieved by December 2005 to ensure zero discharge in inland surface water courses with 50% utilisation to be realized by March 2004. Nutrient value of effluents will be utilised by making compost and/or using in irrigation. Till 100% utilisation spent wash is achieved, discharge of treated effluent will be regulated to prevent colouring of water bodies.

4, Leather Industry:

With 150 tanneries, the industry will bring down water consumption from the present 60 to 100 cubic meter per tonne of hides processed to 28 cubic meter per tonne by December 2003. The effluent generation will be brought down from 24 million cubic meters per year to 9.6 million cubic meters per year. All the chrome tanning units will have chrome recovery plants either on individual basis or on collective basis by December 2005. This will result in reduction in the release of chromimium salts in the environment from the present 15,000 to 1500 tonnes per year. Waste minimisation circles will be forms in all the clusters of tanneries in the country to implement waste reduction measures and for adoption of clean technologies by March 2004.

5. Pesticide Industry

With 150 pesticides manufacturing units, the industry has agreed to take up segregation of waste streams for appropriate treatment by June 2003 and detoxication and treatment of highly toxic waste streams will be taken up by June 2004.

6. Cement Industry (126 Units)

The Industry has agreed that non-complying plants will take up augmentation of existing air pollution control devices by July 2003 and their replacement by July 2004. Cement plants located in critically polluted or urban areas will meet the particulate matter emission norm of 100 mg per cubic meter by 2004 and to further reduce it to 50m mg per cubic meter. This will result in reduction in particulate matter emission by 65 %. Emission of green house gases like carbon dioxide will be reduced by 20% by July 2004. Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emission norms will be evolved by June 2004 to minimise the possibility of acid rain and formation of secondary pollutants like ozone.

7. Fertilizer Industry (111 Units)

Water Consumption will be brought down by 50 % in gas based urea plants and by 20 % for Naphtha based urea plants by March 2004. Use of arsenic in ammonia plants and chromate based chemicals for cooling systems will be phased out and will be replaced by December 2003. New Urea plants will adopt appropriate technology to minimise urea dust emissions. Continuous Sulphar dioxide emission monitoring systems will be installed by March 2004. Particulate matter emission levels of 150 mg per cubic meter will be complied with by March next year.

8. Dyes and Dye intermediates (100 units)

Industry association will conduct feasibility, study for adoption of cleaner technologies for H-Acid manufacture within one year. Salt recovery systems to be installed by December 2003. An action plan per installation/upgradation of incineration systems will be submitted within six months.

9. Pulp and Paper (96)

Discharge of ammonium oxide by large scale units will be brought down to 1.5 kg per tonne of paper within two years. Odour control system will be installed in four years. Small scale units will either install chemical recovery plants within 3 years or shift over to waste paper. Effluent treatment plants will be upgraded within one year to meet discharge standards. Waste water discharge will be reduced to 150 cubic meter per tonne of paper within 3 years.

10. Thermal Power Plants (83)

Non-compliant Power plants will place orders for pollution control equipment by September 2003 and complete installation and commissioning by December 2005. New plants and expansion projects will be given environmental clearance from 1.4.2004 only if they meet the limit of 100 mg per cubic meter for particulate matter. Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emission standards for coal based plants will be evolved by December 2003 which have to be met by the new plants from 1.1. 2005 and existing power plants from 1.1.2006. Reduction in particulate matter emission will improve the air quality while emission standards for sulphur and nitrogen oxide will minimise the possibility of acid rains and formation of secondary pollutant like ozone.

11. Petrochemicals (51)

State of Art technology will be adopted for control of emissions at the stage of design itself for new plants. Effective detoxification and waste water treatment will be done by March 2004. Emission of persistent organic chemicals will be reduced by their destruction in incinerators. Emission of cancer causing compounds like benzine through leakages will be controlled by closed viper collection and recovery systems.

12. Castic Soda Industry ( 35)

Mercury Consumption will be brought down to less than 50 grams per tonne of product by December 2005 which is a reduction by 50%. Total Mercury released to environment will be brought down to less than 2 grams per tonne of product by December 2005. Mercury Cell plants will switch over to membrane cell technology.

13. Oil Refineries(17)

New units will have Sulphur recovery units with minimum 99% efficiency. All the refineries located in the critically polluted areas, identified by CPCB will submit an action plant within six months for phased reduction of sulphur dioxide reduction. New refineries/ process units will instar nitrogen oxide burners. The treated effluent discharge quantity will be limited to 0.4 cubic meter tonne except for the monsoon season. The petroleum coke with high sulphur content will be sold to are used by the organised industries with sulphur dioxide emission control systems.

14. Alluminium Industry (14)

Fluoride emissions will be reduced by 50% by 2005 and by 85% by 2010 with adoption of dry scrubber system and stringent emission norms. New potlines will have only pre-baked technologies from which fluoride emission are as low as 20 to 30% of emissions from soderber technologies .

15. Iron and Steel (8)

Emission of Cancer causing gases through leakages will be checked by March 2008. At least 40% of the coke oven batteries will be rebuilt in the next 10 years. Direct injection of reducing agents in the blast furnace by 2013 will reduce coke consumption which in turn will reduce pollution. 100% utilisation of slag will be achieved by 2007 and 70% by 2004. Water consumption will be reduced to 5 cubic meter per tonne for long products and 8 cubic meter per tonne for flat products by December 2005.

16 Copper and Zinc (10)

Sulphur dioxide emission norms to be achieved by 2005 for copper units and by December 2006 for zinc plants. Zero discharge of waste water to be achieved by December 2003 per copper units and by March 2004 for zinc industry.

 
 
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