Indian fertilizer industry is growing day by day. Enumerate the environmental concerns related with the growth of this sector in India.
The fertilizer industry has been classified under the �red category� of polluting sectors by the Central Pollution Control Board .It causes following environmental concerns:
�Water pollution:
- The discharge of untreated or partially treated industrial waste water is the main source of pollution of ground water
- According to the BIS,�the maximum permissible limit of ammonia in drinking water is 0.5 ppm. However, about 83 per cent groundwater samples collected had an ammonical nitrogen content of 0.51�93.5 ppm. This upper limit of which is 187 times the permissible limit set by BIS
- Some plants are diluting their wastewater with freshwater to meet pollution control norms
Air pollution:
- Inefficient air pollution control devices or improper fuel combustion within the systems have led to high emission levels at some plants
- There is no regulation in India for parameters like emissions of gaseous ammonia from urea manufacturing
- The emissions which contains urea dust, ammonia and oxides of nitrogen and carbon, also affects the growth and productivity of vegetation and crops around a plant
Solid Waste:
- Plants are not managing their hazardous waste properly, for which they have received notices or directions
- Ash pond maintenance has emerged as an issue at most plants
- Handling and storage of fly ash is inefficient and causes pollution
The Fertilizer sectors are growing at a very fast pace in India due to the demand of fertilizers in the agriculture sector. The above discussed concerns need to be ratified as soon as possible.
Originally written on
September 2, 2023
and last modified on
October 27, 2024.
Tags: Pollution