Page 9 - Policy brief on persistent organic pollutants in Indian environment: A wake-up call for concerted action
P. 9
Policy Brief
5. Strengthen institutional capacities to undertake on international treaties and conventions, India has enacted
large scale preventive measures required for the about 35 pieces of legislation to manage POPs and similar
management of POPs being released from stockpiles toxic substances, which fall under the responsibility
and wastes. of various ministries. These regulations cover various
aspects of the management of POPs including
6. Enhance the quality of temporary storage of DDT
at various application sites wherever considered import and export,
appropriate.
manufacture,
7. Wherever feasible, provide dedicated transport
facilities for carrying DDT. transport, and the
8. Develop policy and legal frameworks for the protection of environment and human health.
management of contaminated lands or sites.
The ultimate goal of all such regulations is to ensure
9. Strengthen institutional capacities to mitigate the risk safe circulation, use, and disposal of chemicals and
from contaminated sites. to empower each of the authorities responsible for
dealing with the various chemicals to ban them or to
10. Identify and accord priority to dealing with sites that restrict their use. Although various regulations that ban
are likely to be contaminated. or control the use of POPs are in place, high levels of
residues of POPs were detected in the environment
11. Select appropriate, low-cost, and environmentally and in people along the Ganges (Sharma et al. 2014a,
sound technologies for remediation. 2014b; Sharma et al. 2015a, 2015b). This indicates that
the current regulations in India have failed to keep up
12. Undertake remediation of selected contaminated with the economic development of the country and
sites. need to be updated. Future policies to manage POPs and
other toxic bio-accumulative chemicals in India have to
Critical action points consider the lessons from past incidents and be revised
accordingly.
Recognizing the importance of regulating the use, Policy recommendations
manufacturing, and import of POPs and other toxic
chemical substances, the Government of India supports The following are the recommendations to the
capacity building and provides technical assistance. Government of India related to the articulation of
Besides the Stockholm Convention (to control and/ policies related to the management of chemicals.
or ban POPs), India is signatory to several other
international treaties such as the Basel Convention Update India’s National Implementation Plan (the
(to manage transboundary movements of hazardous current version is more of an inventory of POPs rather
wastes) and the Rotterdam Convention (to provide prior than guiding policies, regulations, and measures).
informed-consent procedures for certain chemicals and
pesticides in the chemical trade). As part of implementing Establish a dedicated strategic framework for the
management of POPs.
Compile details of the sources of POPs and other
similar contaminants on priority as part of the
environmental agenda of the country.
Undertake systematic catchment-scale monitoring
of pollution levels and the impacts of pollution on
health.
Monitor the concentration of POPs in the Himalayan
region.
Monitor POPs in human population adopting the
epidemiological approach and using mother–child
cohorts.
JANUARY 2018 9
5. Strengthen institutional capacities to undertake on international treaties and conventions, India has enacted
large scale preventive measures required for the about 35 pieces of legislation to manage POPs and similar
management of POPs being released from stockpiles toxic substances, which fall under the responsibility
and wastes. of various ministries. These regulations cover various
aspects of the management of POPs including
6. Enhance the quality of temporary storage of DDT
at various application sites wherever considered import and export,
appropriate.
manufacture,
7. Wherever feasible, provide dedicated transport
facilities for carrying DDT. transport, and the
8. Develop policy and legal frameworks for the protection of environment and human health.
management of contaminated lands or sites.
The ultimate goal of all such regulations is to ensure
9. Strengthen institutional capacities to mitigate the risk safe circulation, use, and disposal of chemicals and
from contaminated sites. to empower each of the authorities responsible for
dealing with the various chemicals to ban them or to
10. Identify and accord priority to dealing with sites that restrict their use. Although various regulations that ban
are likely to be contaminated. or control the use of POPs are in place, high levels of
residues of POPs were detected in the environment
11. Select appropriate, low-cost, and environmentally and in people along the Ganges (Sharma et al. 2014a,
sound technologies for remediation. 2014b; Sharma et al. 2015a, 2015b). This indicates that
the current regulations in India have failed to keep up
12. Undertake remediation of selected contaminated with the economic development of the country and
sites. need to be updated. Future policies to manage POPs and
other toxic bio-accumulative chemicals in India have to
Critical action points consider the lessons from past incidents and be revised
accordingly.
Recognizing the importance of regulating the use, Policy recommendations
manufacturing, and import of POPs and other toxic
chemical substances, the Government of India supports The following are the recommendations to the
capacity building and provides technical assistance. Government of India related to the articulation of
Besides the Stockholm Convention (to control and/ policies related to the management of chemicals.
or ban POPs), India is signatory to several other
international treaties such as the Basel Convention Update India’s National Implementation Plan (the
(to manage transboundary movements of hazardous current version is more of an inventory of POPs rather
wastes) and the Rotterdam Convention (to provide prior than guiding policies, regulations, and measures).
informed-consent procedures for certain chemicals and
pesticides in the chemical trade). As part of implementing Establish a dedicated strategic framework for the
management of POPs.
Compile details of the sources of POPs and other
similar contaminants on priority as part of the
environmental agenda of the country.
Undertake systematic catchment-scale monitoring
of pollution levels and the impacts of pollution on
health.
Monitor the concentration of POPs in the Himalayan
region.
Monitor POPs in human population adopting the
epidemiological approach and using mother–child
cohorts.
JANUARY 2018 9
