Cement, Energy and Environment

r ' • Hardik Shah Member Secretary, Gujarat Pollution Control Board Abstract The global economy is generating increasing amounts of hazardous wastes and if these wastes are not properly managed it poses serious hazards to health and environment. In highly industrialised State Gujarat, industrial growth has resulted into huge generation of toxic hazardous wastes with varied characteristics. It was a big challenge to policy makers at GPCB and Waste generators to manage tones of hazardous wastes. Other side there were challenges i.e lack of availability of land for landfilling, high remediation cost, high investment & operating cost of incineration and increased environmental pollution issues. The GPCB looked at the modern approach of Co– processing of Wastes as Alternate Fuel and Raw materials (AFR) in existing Cement kilns of the State. Co-processing offers number of benefits such as destroying of organic hazardous wastes in a safe manner, cost effective to industries that generate wastes and a society that wants to dispose of such wastes in a safe and environmentally-acceptable manner. The added benefits includes conservation of non-renewable fossil energy, lower C02 and methane emissions besides helping society for sustainable Eco– Environmental development by using waste as supplementary resource & alternative fuel. GPCB was needed to strengthen capacity building and the crucial task was to agree the top management of cement plants to adopt this concept. Strategic approaches were designed and implemented by the Board. GPCB facilitated cement plants by sharing the entire database of hazardous waste generating industries in the State via online platform aiming consistent supply of suitable wastes. The permission procedure part was made hassle free and speedy. Top management of Cement plants, cement plant operational personnel, major waste generators, industries associations, TSDF operators Municipal Corporations/ Local bodies are appraised time to time through various meetings, Seminars , awareness programs etc. to propagate this concept further. GPCB has drawn target to achieve co– processing of Hazardous waste in cement kiln to at least 10% TFR by AFR in next 03 years. As a result of consistent efforts by all stakeholders approximate 9. 36 Lacs MT of wastes is co– processed as alternate fuel and raw materials in the State till March 2014, which is a record in the country. A Forum of Regulators leaded by Member Secretary, GPCB is working to find solutions of hurdlers towards goal achieving and also to promote this concept at country level. The global economy is generating increasing amounts of hazardous waste in countries. This waste poses serious health impacts to people and the environment and has the potential to contaminate other non-hazardous waste and substances if it is not properly managed. The industrial growth in India has resulted into huge generation of toxic hazardous wastes with varied characteristics. The Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India, notified the Hazardous Waste (Management, Handling and Transboundry ) Rules on July 28, 1989 under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act , 1986, which was further amended in the year 2000, 2003 and 2008. The Hazardous Wastes (Management, Handling and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2008 were notified for effective management of hazardous waste mainly solids, semisolids and other industrial wastes, which do not come under the purview of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1981 and also to enable the Authorities to control storage, transportation, treatment and disposal of waste in an environmentally sound manner. The regulatory mechanism for enforcement of the Rules is also set up and the responsibility for enforcement & monitoring is assigned to the State Pollution Control Boards.