Approaches To Environmental Management

Submitted To: Ms.Savita Malik

Submitted By: Konal (Roll No.5) Thakraj (Roll No.6)

Environmental Management
Environmental management is which includes organizational structure, planning activities, responsibilities, practices, procedures, processes, and resources for...achieving environmental policy Environmental management is a wide, expanding, and rapidly evolving field, affecting everyone from individual citizens to businesses; governments to international agencies. Indisputably, it plays a crucial role in the quest for sustainable development.

There is a growing concern developed nations about the ever increasing environmental degradation due to industrialization.

There is a total agreement throughout the world that any further enviornmental degradation should be effectively and completely checked .

Approaches to Environmental Management

There are two main approaches for environmental management :-

1. Management based on standards 2. Management based on best practicable means.

1. Management based on standards

It requires statutory provision for standards for each pollutant for air, water, noise and soil pollution. Each polluter could chose a suitable technique for pollution control, based on their evaluation for technical feasibility and economic viability. A regular monitoring of each relevant pollutant and its comparison with prescribed limit will indicate the amount of pollution to be removed by pollution control. If there is any deviation from prescribed limit, penal action could be taken against the polluter. The standards for permissible limits are fixed.

Standards for the disposal of industrial effluents

The permissible limits are higher for disposal on land because, due to percolation, there will be significant reduction in their values before they are joining the water systems and, in case the effluents is discharged directly into river system, the effects will be direct and naturally the permissible limits are lower.

For air pollution, the permissible limits are highest for industrial areas but lowest in the case of sensitive areas like Agra-Mathura and entire hill area. The standards for noise pollution are also fixed.

2. Management based on best practicable means

In this case industry is free to adopt any suitable method which is technically feasible as well as economically viable. In this case it is necessary to have time bound programmed for implementations of effluent treatment plan to meet the prescribed limits, and to consider the calculation of the depth columns for dumping radioactive waste, which will not come into contact with permanent water levels of the land. The developing nations have also started organizing effective checks and controls on environmental pollution, in some case suitable standards for water pollution have also been prescribed.

The Continuous Cycle

Plan Planning, identifying environmental aspects and establishing goals Do Implementing, includes training and operational controls

Check Checking, includes monitoring and corrective action

Act Reviewing, includes progress reviews and acting to make needed changes

Objectives and Targets

Compliance with Regulations

Reduce Waste Stream hazardous solid

Reduce Energy Consumptiom

Recycle
Green Purchasing Pollution Prevention

Problems in Environmental management

There is no doubt that the best practicable means approach offers a lot of freedom and has built in flexibilities, which could be fully utilized for the benefit of the industry, in case of environmental management based on standards, it is essential for industry to follow the standards to avoid penal action. In case of developing countries, there is increasing emphasis on small scale/cottage/village industries, specially to contain unemployment. However, it is very difficult for small scale industries to have effective effluent treatment plant to meet prescribed limits of stats pollution control board. They have resource constraint which also comes in their way in timely implementation of pollution control. There is apparently some relationship between the size of the plant and the profit likely to be earned, especially due to scale economy. This also discourages the small-scale industry from going for pollution abatement.

Extensive instrumental facilities to measure concentration of each pollutant are required, irrespective of the size of the industry, especially when the materials involved are the same. The expenses involved also prevent the small scale industry from going in for scientific monitoring of each pollutant at regular interval. The general standard of living is fairly low in developing countries. Hence, the flexibility offered by the best practicable means approach may not be fully appreciated. The ecosystem consists of physical and biotic environment. The biotic environment consists of animal kingdom, plant kingdom and human beings. The dynamic interaction among the three is very complex. The impact of physical environment on biotic environment is not yet well understood. In the absence of any quantification of interaction between the physical and biotic environment and different degree of pollution load, it s difficult to suggest realistic standards for different pollutants which are acceptable to polluters as well

Suggestions for proper environmental management

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To have statutory provisions and to declare that the level of pollutants , discharged into open streams beyond the desired limit, will invite criminal proceedings or other suitable action by the state. Thus, it will be mandatory to have as an integral part of each plant, a suitable device to reduce the level of each pollutant below the desired limit. To leave the matter entirely to the industry, with certain guidelines so that they may adopt the best practicable methods available. Alternative which incorporates the advantage of both the methods but in any case a time bound programme will be needed.

Conclusion
1. There should be statutory standards for air, water, noise, radioactive materials.etc. But due to certain difficulties they should be implemented keeping in view the special situation i.e. circumstances associated with the industry and the natural streams involved. The standards should serve as the guidelines and there should be complete flexibility so that the pace of industrialization may be maintained or accelerated as far as possible. The global and regional requirements, and also economic conditions should be kept in view while making statutory provision for the standards to be maintained by each industry. Wherever technical know-how is not available, a grace period may be allowed and, in the meantime, suitable know-how may be developed with assistance from the polluting industry on the principle polluter should pay. Further certain guidelines with regard to the desirable limits are necessary to know the exact position.

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4. As an incentive, tax concession may be given to those industries which are maintaining the standards, and a suitable penalty may be imposed on those which are well above the prescribed limit, depending upon the degree of deviation from the standards prevailing in the industry.

Thank you