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June, 2003 In the present era of rapid urbanisation, over-population and unabated industrial growth all around the world, a constant need to shift focus from "development" to "sustainable development" has repeatedly been felt. Last decade saw the holding of Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro and the world realised the importance of preserving the environment and maintaining the eco-system in which it prospers. New ozone holes, global warming, polluted waters, barren lands, lifeless forests, greenhouse effect and toxic atmosphere were noted to be the visible negative impacts of man’s relentless march without caring for the environment. It became evident that for the survival of both the human beings and the animal world, efforts to minimise environmental degradation were needed to be accelerated by every country, every industry and every individual. Today, rules and regulation demand safe disposal of affluents by the industries without causing any adverse effect upon air, water or soil. Setting up an environment management cell has become essential for every industry. Monitoring the pollution control aspects is a fullfledged job, needing a strong organisational setup and a testing infrastructure. There may be instances when some industrial units may have escaped the eye of the law and continued to discharge the affluents without their treatment but such an approach may result in heavy losses in the long run. With the passage of time, the rules, the control and the penalties are going to be heavier only. It is therefore a better and wiser step for every industry to set up its own unit for Environment management, treat its affluents, discharge them safely and be free of the stress that will always keep lurking if these measures are not taken. Once an industry accepts the fact that saving the environment is an integral part of its production process and whatever little or large expenditure it needs is unavoidable, the double-mindedness and the perplexity come to an end. Any industry, may be a production unit or a generation unit, has to ensure that its operations do not affect: 1. Air Quality. 2. Water Quality. 3. Soil Quality. 4. Noise Levels. Every industry releases air and water affluents during its operation and produces noise. Air affluents affect air quality, water affluent affects water and soil quality and noise affects physiological and psychological states of living beings. To keep the pollutants contained by the affluents within permissible limits, air and water need to be sampled, analysed and treated while the noise levels are to be kept low. In addition, every industry has to evolve a plan to add greenery and plantation to the area in and around that industry. Since the industries are run on a continuous basis, time intervals at which the affluents are to be sampled and analysed are to be decided keeping in view the quantum of discharge and an environment management cell needs to be created accordingly to carry out the job. The cell should work out the number of stations required to draw the samples of air, water and soil and the number of stations to measure the noise levels. It should also draw a landscaping and arboriculture plan to add greenery to the area occupied by the industry, to monitor the progress of the new plants and to keep a record of effect of pollutants on the plantation. This cell should further assess the number of samples to be drawn and the intervals at which the air, water and soil samples are to be collected at the decided stations. Thereafter, the process of collection of samples, their analysis, the comparison of percentage of pollutants contained in the samples with the corresponding permissible limits and the conveyance of results to the concerned units of the industry for corrective measures should be a regular process carried out in an immaculate manner without allowing the laxity to set in over the passage of time. An environment Management cell should fully equip itself with the necessary testing equipment, samplers, chemicals for testing, equipment to record climatic conditions and noise level meters. High Volume samplers to suck air through a glass fibre filter paper, respirable particulate samplers, electronic balance for air quality; pH meter, conductivity meter, BOD incubator, COD apparatus, Turbidity meter and Magnetic stirrer for Water Quality and Precision Integration Sound Level meters to measure sound pressure levels should form essential part of the equipment handy to the environment management cell.
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