Environmental Clearance

How to Obtain EC for Pesticides Industry and Pesticide-Specific Intermediates

calendar25 Apr, 2023
timeReading Time: 6 Minutes
How to Obtain EC for Pesticides Industry and Pesticide-Specific Intermediates

EC for Pesticides industry is a mandatory requirement for establishing a pesticide industry in India, and the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change regulate it. The EC process includes an evaluation of the proposed project’s potential environmental impact and submitting a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report, including an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) and a post-project monitoring plan. The proposal should also include a justification for the selected unit size, land requirements, proposed layout, source-specific pollution control schemes, raw materials and energy requirements, water balance, effluent treatment plant, waste management plan, and infrastructure facilities.

Basic Principles of EIA for Obtaining EC for Pesticides Industry

The Basic Principles Of EC For Pesticides Industry Are:

  • Integration of environmental impacts and mitigation in the project planning cycle.
  • EIA must meet the core values of integrity, utility, and sustainability.
  • Purposive, rigorous, practical, relevant, cost-effective, efficient, focused, adaptive, participative, and interdisciplinary EIA process.
  • The EIA process must be credible and subject to independent checks and verification.
  • Benefits of EIA include informing decision-makers, promoting community participation, and laying the base for environmentally sound projects.
  • A properly conducted EIA lessens conflicts by providing balanced, credible information.
  • The EIA process should result in appropriate levels of environmental protection and community well-being.
  • The best practicable science and appropriate methodologies and techniques should be employed.
  • The EIA process should provide acceptable and implementable solutions.
  • The EIA process should provide sufficient, reliable, and usable information.
  • EIA process should impose minimum cost burdens in terms of time and finance.

The Basic Principles Of EC For Pesticides Industry Are:

  • The EIA process should concentrate on significant environmental effects and key issues.
  • The EIA process should be adjusted to the realities and circumstances of the proposals under review.
  • Traditional knowledge should be used when relevant.
  • The interested and affected public should be informed and involved in the EIA process.

Project Cycle for Pesticides Industry

The Project Cycle for obtaining EC for Pesticides industry are as follows:

The generic project cycle has six stages:

  • Project Concept
  • Pre-Feasibility
  • Feasibility
  • Design And Engineering
  • Implementation
  • Monitoring And Evaluation
  • Environmental factors should be considered equal to technical and economic factors throughout the project cycle.
  • Environmental considerations should be introduced early in the project cycle and integrated into the pre-feasibility and feasibility stages.
  • Incorporating environmental considerations in site selection simplifies the subsequent stages of the environmental clearance process and facilitates compliance with mitigation measures throughout the project life cycle.
  • A feasibility study should include a detailed assessment of significant impacts, and the EIA should predict and quantify impacts and delineate an Environmental Management Plan (EMP).
  • EIA findings should preferably be incorporated into the project design stage to study project and site alternatives and incorporate necessary changes.
  • This practice helps in assessing negative impacts and designing cost-effective remedial measures.
  • EIA enhances project quality and improves the project planning process.

Application for Prior EC

Prior application for obtaining EC for the Pesticides industry is as follows:

  • To obtain prior environmental clearance, the project proponent must fill out Form 1(per the official guideline) and submit it along with the pre-feasibility report and draft ToR for EIA studies to the MoEF[1], Government of India, after identifying the site and conducting a pre-feasibility study.
  • Prior environmental clearance is mandatory before initiating any construction work or preparing the land for the identified site/project/activity by the project management, except for acquiring the land.
  • Suppose a specific developmental activity includes an area development component as part of its project proposal. It falls under the construction and area development provisions listed under 8a and 8b of the Schedule in the official guideline. In that case, the project will be considered a developmental activity other than 8a and 8b of the Schedule.

Siting Guidelines for Obtaining EC for Pesticides Industry

These guidelines suggest ways to minimize the potential environmental impacts of developmental projects during site selection. Those are as follows:

  • Industries should avoid specific areas sensitive to industrial impacts that can affect natural systems and land uses.
  • The following minimum distances should be maintained between industries and specific areas:
    • Ecologically and/or otherwise sensitive areas: 5 km (depending on geoclimatic conditions)
    • Coastal areas: ½ km from high tide line (HTL)
    • Flood plain of riverine system: ½ km from flood plain or modified flood plain affected by dam/s in upstream or flood control systems.
    • Transport/Communication system: ½ km from highway and railway line.
    • Major settlements (with 3,00,000 population): Distance from major settlements are difficult to maintain, so the direction of settlement growth for the next decade should be assessed before siting an industry within 50 km of the settlement. The industry should then be sited at least 25 km from the projected growth boundary of the settlement.
    • Critically polluted areas identified by MoEF from time to time.

General Siting Factors

The following factors should also be taken into consideration while selecting a specific site:

  • Conversion of forest land into non-forest activity is prohibited for industry sustenance, as per the Forest Conservation Act 1980.
  • Prime agricultural land should not be converted into industrial sites.
  • The acquired land should be large enough to provide space for appropriate green cover, including a green belt around the industry’s battery limit.
  • The layout of the industry should conform to the area’s landscape without affecting its scenic features.
  • The associated township of the industry should be created at a location with a physical barrier between the industry and the township.

Scoping For Obtaining EC for the Pesticides Industry

The scoping exercise is conducted after defining the project boundaries to identify potential issues and concerns affecting project decisions. The scoping exercise also sets the limits and requirements for conducting an EIA study, and the results are the foundation for the rest of the EIA process. The EAC (Expert Appraisal Committee) determines the ToR for the EIA studies based on the scoping exercise for a particular project. The project proponent must submit an application to the MoEF along with the pre-feasibility report and proposed ToR for EIA studies. The pre-feasibility report summarizes the project details and potential environmental concerns based on secondary information gathered through Form 1 of the official guideline. VECs (valued environmental components) can be identified from the pre-feasibility report and Form 1 for a given project. These are the environmental and social components likely to be affected due to the project operations/activities.

Pre-Feasibility Report

The Pre -Feasibility report for obtaining EC for Pesticides industry

The pre-feasibility report is an important document that outlines the proposed project information and considers the environmental sensitivities of the selected site, raw material availability, process technologies proposed, etc.

The content of the pre-feasibility report may vary depending on the sector and the local environmental setting of the proposed project.

  • The pre-feasibility report should include an executive summary, and project details such as a description of the production processes, expected residues and emissions, physical characteristics of the project, and method for handling out-of-date/expired pesticides.
  • The report should also highlight the selection of the site based on the least possible impacts, including an outline of alternatives studied and the main reasons for the selected site.
  • The project’s anticipated impacts on the receiving environment should be assessed, including significant effects on population, fauna, flora, soil, water, air, climatic factors, material assets, landscape, and the inter-relationship between these factors.
  • The report should propose broad mitigation measures that could effectively be internalized as project components to have environmental and social acceptance of the proposed site.
  • Lastly, the report should indicate any difficulties encountered by the developer in compiling the required information, including technical deficiencies or lack of know-how.

Project Report for Pesticides Industry

The project report for EC for Pesticides industry is as follows:

  • The pre-feasibility report should contain an executive summary and information on the project’s environmental impact assessment (EIA) report, environmental management plan (EMP), and post-project monitoring plan.
  • The report should explain why the proposed unit size was chosen concerning the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) product definitions.
  • It should detail the land required for the project, including its purpose, availability, and optimization, and provide a clear layout of the plant’s facilities.
  • A process flow diagram and information on pollution control schemes and equipment to meet national standards should be included.
  • The report should cover the requirements for raw materials, including their source, storage, handling, energy and water requirements, and sources.
  • Details should be provided on chemical reactions and unit operations involved in the production, as well as water balance and efforts to minimize effluent discharge and maintain water quality.
  • Information on the effluent treatment plant, inlet and treated water quality, and the efficiency of each treatment unit should be included, as well as details on technologies used for pH correction and high TDS/inorganic/organic waste.
  • The report should outline methods for water conservation and recharge and for minimizing air pollutants, as well as management plans for solid/hazardous waste generation, storage, utilization, and disposal.
  • Infrastructure facilities for workers during construction and operation should be detailed. If the project is an expansion of an existing industry, the report should include remediation measures for environmental quality.
  • Finally, any pending litigation or court orders related to environmental pollution or impacts in the last two years should be described.

Conclusion

Obtaining Environmental Clearance (EC) is mandatory for establishing a pesticide industry in India. The EC process involves submitting a pre-feasibility report, including project details, selection of site, anticipated impacts, proposed mitigation measures, and more. The report should also include details on pollution control measures, raw material requirements, water and energy usage, waste management, and infrastructure facilities. The EC process is essential to ensure that the proposed pesticide industry does not cause significant harm to the environment and public health. It is important to adhere to the regulations and guidelines set by the government to ensure the industry’s sustainable development.

Read Our Article: How To Obtain EC For Synthetic Organic Chemicals Industry?

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