Chem cos take on the 'dirty dozen'

NEW DELHI: Domestic chemical industry may have to adhere to stringent international norms for producing, exporting or using hazardous chemicals such as DDT, poly chlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), aldrin and dieldrin.

India has recently ratified the Stockholm Convention, which calls for reducing and ultimately phasing out ‘the dirty dozen’, the twelve most hazardous chemicals.

Once implemented, this would force the Rs 124,000- crore chemical industry and other polluting unit to follow stringent environmental guidelines, which will be framed after a detailed study of chemical profile, a government source said.

The Stockholm Convention also makes it mandatory for the industry to adopt environment-friendly technologies to eliminate releases of dioxins and furans, unintentional by-products of certain industrial activities such as slaughter houses and paper and pulp industry.

Ministry of Environment and Forests is currently preparing a detailed chemical profile, which would assess India’s capacity to manage these chemicals. “On completion of the detailed chemical profile, the ministry will formulate a National Implementation Programme (NIP),” a ministry source said. The ministry has already approached the Global Environment Facility for funding the programme, sources said.

India ratified the convention in April 2006. It had signed the convention in May 17, 2002. About 55 countries have already committed to this convention.