As industrialization increased so did the size of ‘industrial areas’ everywhere. It became more and more common to find clusters of industries situated in ‘industrial pockets’ across towns and cities. This type of clustering was dictated by factors such as better availability of electricity, land, water, roads and other infrastructural facilities. But industrial complexes did not grow in isolation. With them grew India’s population and the consequent pressure on land. Housing colonies, villages, or slums came up everywhere in large numbers. Even in locations where the industries were earlier functioning several kilometers away from sizable human habitation, thickly populated neighbourhoods came up all around the industries. This pattern of development has brought in its wake problems of great complexity. Regulatory agencies such as pollution control boards have the mandate to monitor the pollutant emissions of individual industries. There are emission standards set by competent agencies which give each of the industries appropriate emissions guidelines. But what happens if 10 industries are simultaneously releasing large quantities of pollutants? In other words when a number of industries are functioning in close proximity the total impact of the industries may be harmful to the environment even if the emissions of all the individual industries are within acceptable limits. This situation has generated the need for what we can broadly term ‘regional EIAs’ (regional environmental impact assessments), and ‘sustainability studies’. Such studies aim at a) assessing the ‘total’ impact of industries on the environment of any region and b) determining the ‘sustainability’ of the region; in other words finding out how much industrial activity the region can sustain without irreversibly harming the environment. But regional EIA is a relatively new concept. Whereas elaborate guidelines are available for conducting EIA of individual industries, such cut-and-dried guidelines or methodologies are not available for regional EIA and sustainability studies. This book describes a model study for assessing combined environment impacts of an industrial complex on its surroundings
ABOUT THE AUTHOR S.A. Abbasi
Dr. S.A. Abbasi, senior Professor & Director, Centre for Pollution Control & Energy Technology has taken MS (Miami, USA), Ph. D. (IIT Bombay) and DSc Cochin University of Science & Technology) and had his post doctoral training at Japan specializing in environmental engineering and energy systems. Beginning his professional career in 1970, Prof. Abbasi has taught at IIT Bombay, BITS Pilani, and Bhopal University before joining Centre for Water Resources, kozhikode. There he headed Water Quality & Environment Division for eight years (1979-87). In 1984 he was honoured with Visiting Professorship of California State University, USA and held that position till 1987. In 1987 Prof. Abbasi moved to a professorial chair at Pondicherry (Central) University becoming Director, Centre for Pollution Control & Energy Technology, in 1991 and Director-cum-senior Professor in 1997; a position in which he continues till now. He is consultant, International Foundation for Water Science & Technology, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Environmental Works. Al-Khobar; and Member of Honorary Advisory Board, Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems, being published for UK. Prof. Abbasi has been chairman/member of numerous national and international expert committees and has been session chairman of international conferences at USA, Europe, Asia and Africa on several occasions. He is Member; Editorial Board. International Journal of Energy-Environment-Economics published from USA., Journal of Industrial Population Control (India), Pollution Research (India), Journal of Environment, Ecology& Conservation, Chemical and Environmental Research, and Journal Mendale. He is on the panel of referees of Environmental Pollution (USA/UK), Indian Journal of Chemical Technology, Current Science etc., and has been called upon to vet R&D projects by DST, MOEn, DBT, CSIR, DOE, and others. In 1995 Prof Abasi was conferred national Hydrology Award instituted by Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India. He was awarded $ 2000 IDA Prize by International Desalination Association based in USA, 1996. In 1998 Prof Abbasi was honoured with a Gold Metal at the International Energy Conference ENERGEX ’98; and was conferred S.K. Mitra Memorial Award by Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers, Calcutta. Recently he has been given the Goldstar Award and has been declared as the “2000 most important people of the current millennium†by International Biographical Institute, Cambridge.
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