India: Under New Management

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The American Chemical Society published a cover story:"India:Under New Management" in its Chemical and Engineering News magazine - C&EN. The researcher and author of the story, Jean-François Tremblay (JF) from Hong Kong emphasises how Prime Minister Narendra Modi administration is promising to deliver changes.

JF, during his research in India interacted with me and discussed the range of issues of industrialisation, pollution and efforts made to curb them, especially related to Vapi Industrial Area in Gujarat; the home state of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. 

JF fled from Hong Kong and came to Vapi to do ground research on the issue. Not a surprise that he had to go through all the stress and pain that a journalist normally could have during such reporting from Vapi; Vapi industries are infamous for this. His cover story quotes me on Vapi issues and concludes not very different from what I had researched and published way back in July 2011 in Down to Earth- Gentle on Critical Pollution.

A brief of the issue:

Central pollution control Board (CPCB) had identified 43 critically polluted area in the country using its comprehensive environmental pollution index (CEPI) in December, 2009.


In order to control the pollution, January 2010 onwards, the government had put a ban on any expansion and new projects in these areas. At the same time, relevant state pollution control boards (SPCBs) were asked to prepare a mitigation action plan for these areas. After 8 months, the government had started removing the ban only based on submitted action plan and initiation of the mitigation work as per the plan.

The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi carried a study in 2011 to evaluate the pollution levels in the areas where ban was already lifted. The study findings published in the report "Gentle on critical pollution" says that the ban had started showing positive results. But the exercise proved futile since the government started lifting the ban from many critically polluted areas without ensuring the improvement in pollution control.

In 2013, CPCB reviewed the pollution level in such critically polluted areas and thereafter, reimposed the ban in the areas where pollution level didn't improve. However last year, after Modi government taking charge, the ban was put to abeyance again without any detailed studies.


Recently, "The American Chemical Society" published the cover story "India under new management" in its magazine "C&EN (Chemical and Engineering News)", which highlights the issue and concludes in the same line that the Vapi area, though has improved since last 15 years, still remains one of the most polluted in India.

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