Cement, Energy & Environment Jan-Mar 2002

management pertaining to the cement industry. Over the last three decades or so, the environmental management in the manufacturing sector has moved in steps that widely designated as "ignore-dilute-control– prevent". The cement industry has not been any exception to this track record. It took some time for the industry to move from a level of indifference or ignorance to a level ofadopting a defens.ive strategy with a large number of end-of-the pipe control technologies. It is only in very recent times that one observes that the industry is s·eriously engaged in a proactive strategy of developing a series of new initiatives that are based on voluntary actions on one side and life-cycle considerations on the other. This article is a brief and sketchy attempt to look at new higher-order initiatives of environmental managem~nt to which the cement industry has ascended. Courtesy : Proc. Vol., Inti. Workshop on Petcoke & Sem. on Energy and En v. in Cement Production and Sust. Constn., 29-31, Jan. 2002, Pp- S-ill 1 to 8 E-mail: nccbm@giasd/01. vsnl.net.in Web: www.cementresearch.com SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION OF KACHCHH DISTRICT, GUJARAT M S Bhagwat et al, National Council for Cement and Building Materials, India Kachchh is the second largest district in the country. Being a part of the desert, it is flanked by the Great Rann of Kachc:hh in the north and Arabian Sea in the south and west. It has remained industrially backward despite the fact that it has vast mineral resources particularly of limestone, lignite, bauxite and bentonite. The region frequently experiences vagaries of nature one after another in the form of cyclones, droughts and more recently the devasting earthquake. Crippled with the recurring natural disasters the region and the people have to strive hard for their sustenance. Scanty and erratic rainfall coupled with excessive withdrawal of ground water for irrigation and industrial purposes has further added to the complexity of the situation. The region has rich bio-diversity in terms of the floral and faunal species, which is diminishing fast, and some of the species of both kingdoms are on the brink·of extinction. Owing to these reasons the ecology of the area has become highly fragile which needs careful handling lest to imbalance the ecology. Intricate issues concerning environment have been discussed in details. The Ministry of Environment & Forests has accepted NCB's findings and recommendations for the sustainable development of the region. Courtesy: Inti. Workshop onPetcoke and Seminar on Energy and Env. in cement Prod. and Sus. Constn, 29-31, Jan 2002, ND, Proc. Vol. Pp S-ill-38to 47. GANGOTRI GLACIERS MAY DISAPPEAR BY 2035, FEAR SCIENTISTS Alok Tikku, New Delhi There are fears that the glacier, from where the Ganga originates, might disappear over the next few decades. Experts say the indications a,re there for all to see at 30.2km long Gangotri glacier. 43