Industry gets a pollution control charter

A charter on corporate responsibilityfor environment protection —which lists voluntary initiatives by 17categories of industry to reduce pollution through total compliance withpollution control norms — was today released by the Environment &Forests minister TR Baalu and the minister for heavy industries and publicenterprises Balasaheb Vikhe Patil.
Under this, the thermal power sector hasagreed that from April 1, ''04, environmental clearance would be given to newplants and expansion projects only if they meet the limit of 100mg per cubicmeter for particulate matter.
Oil refineries in critically polluted areas,identified by the CPCB will submit an action plan within six months for phasedreduction of sulphur dioxide.
The pharma industry has agreed to take upsegregation of waste streams for providing appropriate treatment by December''03. The Charter was released at the Conference of representatives of Centraland State Governments, Pollution Control Boards and 17 major pollutingindustries here today.
It is the outcome of a four-monthgovernment-industry interaction and includes specific date-bound targetsespecially for reduction in use of water where possible.
For instance, thesugar industry with 525 plants has agreed to reduce waste water generation from400 litres to 100 litres per tonne of cane crushed by April ''04.
379 pharmaunits have agreed to provide proper facilities for handling and storage ofhazardous wastes. Non-incinerable hazardous waste will be disposed of inproperly-designed secure landfills by March ''04.
The non-compliant unitsamong the 232 distillery units have agreed to furnish bank guarantees and actionplans to concerned state pollution control boards to ensure compliance while the150 tanneries have committed to bring down water consumption from the present 60to 100 cubic meters per tonne of hides processed to 28 cubic meters per tonne byDecember ''03.
By Jun
e ''04, detoxification and treatment of highlytoxic waste streams will be in operation in pesticide plants. Non-complyingcement plants will take up augmentation of existing air pollution controldevices by July ''03 and their replacement by July ''04.
The fertiliserindustry will bring down water consumption by 50% in gas-based urea plants andby 20% for naphtha-based urea plants by March ''04.
Dyes and dyeintermediates will conduct a feasibility study for the adoption of cleanertechnologies for H-Acid manufacture within a year, while small pulp and paperunits have agreed to either install chemical recovery plants within three yearsor shift over to waste paper commissioning by December ''05.
Thepetrochemicals, caustic soda, aluminium, iron and steel and copper and zincindustries also have a specific target.