Maharashtra may ban industries near rivers

The proposals of the Board are extremely significant as already, there are very few rivers with potable water. Rivers like Godavari at Nashik, Krishna at Sangli, Panchganga at Kolhapur are some of the most polluted riverine systems in the State and nothing short of a major cleansing programme under the National River Action Plan could save them.

What is worse, with almost all the rivers being dammed at source for the much needed irrigation projects, there is not enough water in the lower reaches to dilute the pollutants being emitted by the industries, an official pointed out.

Accordingly, in the policy now, the rivers have been classified into four zones: A1 – point where the river originates up to its first dam or weir, A2 – the main stage of the river or the stretch below the first designated weir or dam, A3 – river water used for aquaculture and A4 – that which flows into the cities and lowest plains, used mainly for agriculture and industrial cooling processes.

Industries too have been categorised into three groups: Red, Orange and Green. Red’ stands for the highly polluting industries like distilleries and fermentation industries, sugar and fertilisers, pulp and paper industries, basic drugs and pesticides, oil refineries and tanneries among others. The policy proposes to station these industries at a minimum distance of five kilometres from the river banks. Industries in the less hazardous Orange’ group include units manufacturing mirror, cotton spinning and weaving, pulping and fermenting of coffee beans, production of non alcoholic drinks, organic nutrients etc have been marked for location between two to five kilometres from the river. It is only the Green’ category industries, totally non polluting ones like rice mullors, mineralised water production facilities, bakery products, apparel making and handloom weaving which have been allowed nearest to the river, though still beyond 500 metres from the river banks.

Senior officials in the Energy and Environment department on their part are enthusiastic about the proposal and would like to see them implemented with little changes. The River Policy’, they point out, has in it the making of a strong action oriented’ government body in the Environment department.

“If a free license policy is to be followed in all industrial sectors, the only option to save the rivers is a strict location policy,” said a senior official of the department.

Would the Environment Ministry then become the final arbiter for setting up an industry in the State? Even if the officials expect as much, the Principal Secretary Energy and Environment Ashok Basak does not subscribe to the viewpoint. “In fact, there are chances that the Environment Ministry could be weakened to that extent if the location policy put forward is adhered to in toto by the industries,” he said.

The four-member committee is also expected to study the impact of the Board’s proposals on the current industrialisation of the State, its effect on the MIDC policy, especially since land has already been acquired — some close to the rivers for setting up of additional MIDC areas and of course, whether the rivers could be saved from further exploitation.

And though there is no mention of shifting existing industries from their present locations, the Board has sought restrictions on expansion and modernisation of the existing industries, including those in the MIDC estates. It is also against setting up more industrial enclaves under the MIDC projects. “There is a proposal that if expansion and modernisation of the existing industrial unit results in curbing pollution then there should not be a problem (in granting permission),” Basak clarified.