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Sustainable Industrial
Development
Pollution prevention is the
key
Historically
speaking, industrial development in India has been synonymous with efforts to
increase production capacity. Industrial activity has striven to keep pace
with the growing needs of people and changing consumption patterns.
Competitiveness in the market, through improved product quality and
infrastructure development, has been on the rise.
Until
recently, industry has been looked upon as a developmental activity (in terms
of providing jobs) with few adverse effects on its surrounding. But increased
industrial activity has led to irreparable damage to the environment,
including depleted natural resources, polluted water bodies, unwanted
emissions into the air, and negative impacts on human health. Today there is a
growing realisation of the interdependence of environment, development and
people – and the delicate balance that exists between the parts of this
triad.
Fortunately, the corporate sector is beginning to realise its social
obligations and is making efforts to improve the environment. Awareness is
spreading that end-of-pipe treatment of effluents is not the final answer for
ameliorating the effects of harmful wastes. End-of-pipe treatment is often
quite expensive to implement, even for large-scale industries, with their
availability of finances and technical expertise.
For small-scale industries, with their lower capital investment costs,
end-of-pipe treatment is prohibitively expensive. Small-scale enterprises
account for the major portion of industrial activity in the country, and
therefore the environmental degradation contributed from this sector is quite
significant.
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The corporate sector is beginning to realise its social obligations and is
making efforts to improve the environment. |
Earlier this year the Industrialisation and Urbanisation Group at Development
Alternatives initiated a pollution prevention programme for small-scale
industries in Delhi. The project is in collaboration with Dutch experts from
the Erasmus Centre for Environment Studies, the Netherlands. We have found
that small-scale industries typically have:
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space
constraints for on-site storing for recycle/reuse or for treatment
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lack of
awareness of sound technologies
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unskilled,
untrained work forces operating in an unscientific way
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lack of
knowledge on the part of both management and workforces about the health
hazards involved
The present
regulatory bodies emphasise impractical pollution control measures,
irrespective of the variety of problems associated. Lack of technical guidance
and help from these bodies hinders environmentally conscious entrepreneurs
form implementing measures.
The existing Government organisations dealing with industries, including the
Small Scale Industrial Development Corporations (SSDCs) and Pollution Control
Boards (PCBs) are not successful in containing pollution. This may be due to
various reasons like overburdened staff, time constraints and organisational
priorities. Still, the entire responsibility ought not to rest with these
bodies. It is beyond the scope of industrial development corporations to look
into this varied state of affairs while they are busy building up
infrastructure and other facilities for the industrial sector.
What is required is a fundamental change in approach-from pollution treatment
measures at the end-of-pipe-to preventive measures during the production
process itself before final treatment. Such measures would cut down pollution
load for final treatment, and therefore final treatment can be done more
efficiently.
Wherever these preventive measures have been adopted for waste management,
significant cost benefits have been realised. Hence any organisation/institutional
set-up working for industries should generate and develop industry-specific
case studies. Such studies would illustrate that "Pollution prevention
pays", thereby motivating entrepreneurs to undertake preventive measures.
The bottom line is bound to be more effective in motivating industry than
appealing to reason or social consciences. By showing industry the financial
benefits of preventive measures, and by impressing upon them the
image-building spin-offs, wonders could be accomplished in overall pollution
abatement.
To achieve this, institutional stet-ups are required with pre-defined goals
and objectives based on assessment of prevention opportunities over the entire
life cycle of products. These set-ups should comprise industrial managers at
all levels, workers, and experts who would help identify, assess and execute
prevention options. These bodies would advise industries options for on
site/off site recycling or reuse of waste, and also assist in efficient
treatment and disposal of treated waste to safer places.
These experts should be identified and selected by the industries themselves
or by the industrial associations (in case of small enterprises). They should
include professionals form :
For the success
of these institutional efforts, it is essential that Government:
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Revise its
water pricing policies (water costs should be increased to make recovery
and reuse of waste water more meaningful)
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Lower
standards of emissions and discharges to achievable limits
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Provide
incentives for adoption of low waste technologies
This approach
needs a collective effort from both industry and the executing bodies.
Cooperation from both public and Government organisations, in terms of
technology transfer and information sharing on latest R & D results is
required. This would enable a quicker transformation from the present degraded
state of the environment, to a regenerated one for the future.
by K.
Vijayalakshmi
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