138 7 Concluding Remarks and Policy Recommendations
techniques for pollution prevention and to formulate sustainable development strat- egies, the Ministry granted an aid in 1994 for the development and promotion of clean technologies. Eleven major laws exist to control pollution in India and many forums for their implementation in various ways. Among the existing legislation on air pollution in India includes: Air Prevention and Control of Pollution Act, 1981;
The Environment Protection Act, 1986; The National Environment Tribunal Act, 1995; The National Environment Appellate Authority Act, 1997; and Biological Diversity Act, 2002. Under these different Acts, provisions are made to protect the environment from all kinds of pollution related to industrial and agricultural activi- ties. The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) is entrusted with the functions of planning a comprehensive program for the prevention, control and abatement of pollution in Punjab. PPCB has to support and encourage developments in the field of pollution control. PPCB has taken various measures to limit the amount of industrial pollution in the state but not much has been done to address agricultural pollution. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) is the ‘Central Board’ for the prevention, control and abatement of air and water pollution in India. CPCB has initiated a nationwide programme of ambient air quality monitoring called NAMP.
The division of environment assists the State Department of Environment, Government of Punjab in technical matters pertaining to environment, identifica- tion of major areas of ecological concern, defining the State Government policies and plans on various environmental issues, coordinating and monitoring schemes related to environment, creating environmental awareness and promoting environ- mental education, training and research.
Moreover Punjab State Council for Science and Technology was also recognized as one of the institutes for imparting training on pollution control, waste manage- ment, clean technologies, environment policies, health monitoring and assessment and solid waste management conducted by the Central Pollution Control Board under the Human resource development programme. The Punjab Energy Development Agency was established in the year 1991, for the promotion and development of non-conventional and renewable energy programs or projects in the state of Punjab. Thus, as far as the institutional setup is concerned, there is enough constitutional provisions made under the law of the land to control and abet pollu- tion related to agricultural waste burning. However, what is requisite to meet with this evil practice is strong will power among the governance and viable economic alternatives available to the farmers to keep the stubble burning practice at a bay.
the ambient air, measurement of meteorological parameters like wind velocity, temperature profile and humidity etc., in the rural areas to initiate policy actions to avoid the same.
• Imposing ban on burning legally may not succeed unless farmers are properly educated and made aware about its adverse implications for human and animal health and its undesirable impact on soil, biodiversity etc. To educate farmers, extension activities like Documentary on environment and climate change may be made. In the documentary emphasis should be put on how burning adversely impact the climate change and educate the farmers about the economics of not burning the agricultural residues.
• Alternatives to burning agricultural residue like collection and transportation of agricultural residues, gasification as a fuel for the boilers, converting into bri- quettes and designing of suitable harvester should be promoted.
• Free electricity should not be promoted as the same policy has led to installation of high powered tube wells that are responsible for over draw water from deep inside the earth.
• In-situ management in the field, composting by chemical means and straw mulching by mechanical means should be promoted. The machines like the use of disc plough, disc harrow, rotavator, zero tillage and happy seeder can help in mulching the crop stubble.
• Wastes/residue should be collected from the fields and should be disposed off or used for making useful products like making compost, organic manure to improve soil fertility, and gasification for use as a fuel or for power generation;
night soil to produce biogas and manure.
• The stem may be cut from the root level itself. The same would require a suit- able thresher cum harvester that should be developed using indigenous tech- niques. Use high power tractor for deep cutting. For small farmers it can be followed on cooperative basis.
• Make the small farmers to understand that making chaff out of the agricultural residues is to their advantage.
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Schedule 1
Following is the list of industries requiring environment clearance from the Central Government.
• Nuclear Power and related projects such as Heavy Water Plants, nuclear fuel complex, rare earths.
• River Valley projects including hydel power projects, major irrigation projects and their combination including flood control project except project relating to improvement work including widening and strengthening of existing canals with land acquisition up to maximum of 20 m (on both sides put together) along the existing alignment provided such canals do not pass through ecological sen- sitive areas such as natural parks, sanctuaries, tiger reserves and reserve forests.
• Ports, Harbors, Airports (except minor ports and harbors).
• Petroleum Refineries including crude and product pipelines, isolated petroleum product storages.
• Chemical Fertilizers (Nitrogenous and Phosphatic other than single super phosphate).
• Pesticides (Technical).
• Petrochemical complexes (Both Olefinc and Aromatic) and Petro-chemical intermediate such as DMT. Caprolactam, LAB etc. and production of basic plastics such as LDPE, HDPE, PP, PVC.
• Bulk drugs and pharmaceuticals.
• Exploration for oil and gas and their production, transportation and storage.
• Synthetic Rubber.
• Asbestos and Asbestos products.
• Hydrocyanic acid and its derivatives.
• Primary metallurgical industries (such as production of Iron and Steel, Aluminum, Copper, Zinc, Lead and Ferro Alloys) (a) Electric are furnaces (Mini Steel Plants).
• Chlor alkali industry.
Annexure
© The Author(s) 2015
P. Kumar et al., Socioeconomic and Environmental Implications of Agricultural
• Integrated paint complex including manufacture of resins and basic raw materi- als required in the manufacture of paints.
• Viscose Staple fiber and filament yarn.
• Storage batteries integrated with manufacture of oxides of lead and lead an anti- mony alloy.
• All tourism projects between 200–500 m of High Tide Line or at locations with an elevation of more than 1000 m with investment of more than Rs. 5 crores.
• Thermal Power Plants.
• Mining projects (major minerals) with leases more than 5 ha.
• Highway Projects except projects relating to improvement work including wid- ening and strengthening of roads with marginal land acquisition along the exist- ing alignment provided it does not pass through ecological sensitive areas such as National Parks, Sanctuaries, Tiger Reserves, reserve forests.
• Tarred Roads in Himalayas and/or Forest areas.
• Distilleries.
• Raw Skins and Hides.
• Pulp, paper and newsprint.
• Dyes.
• Cement.
• Foundries (individual).
• Electroplating.
• Meta Amino Phenol.
• New Construction projects.
• New Industrial Estates.
Schedule 2
The industries under the Red Category are:
• Distillery including Fermentation industry.
• Sugar (excluding Khandsari).
• Fertilizer.
• Pulp and Paper (Paper manufacturing with or without pulping).
• Chlor alkali.
• Pharmaceuticals (Basic) (excluding formulation).
• Dyes and Dye-intermediates.
• Pesticides (Technical) (excluding formulation).
• Oil refinery (Mineral oil or Petro refineries).
• Tanneries.
• Petrochemicals (Manufacture of and not merely use of as raw material).
• Cement.
• Thermal power plants.
• Iron and Steel (Involving processing from ore/scrap/Integrated steel plants).
Annexure 143
• Zinc smelter.
• Copper smelter.
• Aluminum smelter.
• Tyres and tubes (Vulcanisation/Retreading/moulding).
• Synthetic rubber.
• Glass and fiber glass production and processing.
• Industrial carbon including electrodes and graphite blocks, activated carbon, carbon black etc.
• Paints and varnishes (excluding blending/mixing).
• Pigments and intermediates.
• Synthetic resins.
• Petroleum products involving storage, transfer or processing.
• Lubricating oils, greases or petroleum—based products.
• Synthetic fiber including rayon, tyre cord, polyester filament yarn.
• Surgical and medical products involving prophylactics and latex.
• Synthetic detergent and soap.
• Photographic films and chemicals.
• Chemical, petrochemical and electrochemical including manufacture of acids such as Sulphuric Acid, Nitric Acid, Phosphoric Acid etc.
• Industrial or inorganic gases.
• Chlorates, per chlorates and peroxides.
• Glue and gelatin.
• Yarn and textile processing involving scouring, bleaching, dyeing, printing or any effluent/emission generating process.
• Vegetable oils including solvent extracted oils, hydro-generated oils.
• Industry or process involving metal treatment or process such as picking, surface coating, paint baking, paint stripping, heat treatment, phosphate or finishing etc.
• Industry or process involving electroplating operations.
• Asbestos and asbestos-based industries.
• Slaughter houses and meat processing units.
• Fermentation industry including manufacture of yeast, beer etc.
• Steel and steel products including coke plants involving use of any of the equip- ment's such as blast furnaces, open hearth furnace, induction furnace.
• Incineration plants.
• Power generating plants (excluding D.G. Sets).
• Lime manufacturing.
• Tobacco products including cigarettes and tobacco processing.
• Dry coat processing/Mineral processing industries like ore sintering, etc.
• Phosphate rock processing plants.
• Coke making, coal liquefaction, coal tar distillation or fuel gas making.
• Phosphorous and its compounds.
• Explosives including detonators, fuses etc.
• Fire crackers.
• Processes involving chlorinated hydrocarbons.
• Chlorine, fluorine, bromine, iodine and their compounds.