ZONING ATLAS FOR SITING OF INDUSTRIES

INTRODUCTION :

The carrying capacity of the environment is not unlimited and, more important, some areas or eco-systems are more susceptible to adverse environmental impacts than others. Unplanned and haphazard siting of industries might substantially increase the risk to the environment. Normally, even if an industry is presently not in an earmarked/notified industrial area, land use conversion is made based on clearance from environmental aspects and other considerations, such as availability of electricity, water supply, etc..

A proposed site for starting an industry is cleared from environmental angle, after reviewing its pollution potential and probable impact on the environment, by the State Pollution Control Boards and the State Environmental Committees or Site Clearance Committees. The site may turnout to be either suitable or unsuitable.

There are certain disadvantages in the present practice of not defining industrial areas, such as:

  1. Due to scattered industrial development, combined treatment or disposal facilities, that may be much more economical and effective than providing facilities by industries individually, cannot be provided.
  2. Pollution control programmes cannot be properly planned due to haphazard development. Also, decision making becomes difficult due to unplanned development.
The Present site clearance procedures insist on carrying out Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for certain projects. When an adverse impact is predicted as a result of the EIA, the impacts are nullified by changing the manufacturing process or the treatment technology. An industry cleared from environmental angle will, however, discharge pollutants as permitted upto a certain amount of tolerable levels. Such tolerable levels are set based on techno-economic feasibility considerations.


Due to lack of land use controls around the industrials sites, uses sensitive to pollution come up in the vicinity of the industrial areas. Discernible impacts, which are mainly depending on the distances to the receiving environment, are noticed due to such uncontrolled land use changes.

Environmental planning is a proven tool for reducing the impacts form such risks. Proper siting of newly planned industries and industrial estates is a strong pollution preventive instrument that ensures environmental soundness of the industrial development. It is the site that ultimately determines which water bodies might be affect by effluent discharged by and industry, which airshed might be affected by air pollutants or which ecosystems might be harmed. Site selection based on environmental criteria with the objective of minimising adverse environmental impacts is, therefore , a vital prerequisite.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has initiated building up the tool of environmental planning in phases. It is also aimed at simplifying and supporting the decision-making process on site clearance for locating an industry. Earlier CPCB had prepared industrial siting guidelines for the Ministry of Environment & Forests, as early as 1984. Subsequently, detailed guidelines were prepared for the Union Territory of Pondicherry in under the Indo-German bilateral programme. The results from these studies have been encouraging, emphasising the need for conducting such programmes at national level. CPCB in consultation with the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) decided to rapier 'Zoning Atlas for Siting of Industries', based on environmental considerations, disrict-wise, throughout the country.

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