Promoting Sustainable and Environment-Friendly Industrial Production

Project description

Title: Sustainable environment-friendly industrial production (SEIP) in India
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: India
Lead executing agency: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)
Overall term: 2019 to 2023

Context

The growth of the manufacturing sector is a key factor in India’s development. The Indian Government has planned to increase its contribution to the gross domestic product from 16 to 25 per cent by 2021, thereby creating 100 million new jobs. There are currently some 3,000 industrial areas in India. Some of these, such as the industrial corridors, investment regions and production zones, are extensive. The industrial expansion involves various risks, including more pollution, the depletion of natural resources and increased generation of waste and wastewater, which endanger ecosystems. In 2009, the Central Pollution Control Board declared 75 out of 88 inspected industrial areas as severely polluted. The same goes for 351 river stretches (status 2018). Pollution from waste, wastewater and emissions and the overexploitation of natural resources pose a significant risk to sustainable development.

In some instances, the technical, organisational and personal capacities at administrative level make it significantly more difficult to draft and implement environmental measures. As a consequence, those causing environmental damage have no incentive to invest in more efficient and environmentally friendly production methods.

Objective

The Indian Government receives support to strengthen its strategic and operational governance structures to effectively combat pollution from industrial wastewater.

Approach 

The project supports environmentally and climate-friendly industrial development with a focus on the management of industrial wastewater. Building on the predecessor module, the project applies the experience gained there to create more extensive framework on national level. The key areas are modernisastion of wastewater treatment plants as well as subsequent reuse oftreated effluent, increasing efficiency at production level (for instance more efficient use of chemicals), enhancement of environmental monitoring, infrastructure development and training measures for technical personnel.

Together with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and authorities such as the Central Pollution Control Board, the project establishes how complying to higher standards in wastewater management can be encouraged through adapted legal framework, improved governance structures and strengthened incentive mechanisms. Communication and targeted training courses reinforce the skills of civil servants and responsible personnel both in the technical area and in operational processes. At the organisational level, the project advises public agencies on the (further) development of political instruments and processes and their practical implementation. Exchange with authorities from the private sector prevents the desired environmental measures from losing significance due to economic interests.

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