- Centre for Science and Environment(CSE) has released a report titled – ‘Grain by Grain’.The report is the complete assessment of the environmental performance of fertilizer industry in India.
- The project was undertaken by CSE along with its Green rating project(GRP).The Project had earlier rated the pulp and paper, automobile,chloro-alkali,cement,iron and steel and thermal power sectors.
- The report has found that the country’s fertilizer sector is among the best in the world in energy use and greenhouse gas(GHG) emissions.
- However,the fertiliser industries staggering records on water use,water pollution and plant safety is a cause of concern.
- The report has also found that the areas surrounding at least one-third of the fertiliser plants found to have very high levels of nitrogen in groundwater.
- This was mainly because as part of their mandate to recycle used-water, the plants were using it for watering horticulture and other crops in their premises.This has lead to nitrogen seeping into the water table.
- Further,another major concern was the age of the India’s fertiliser plants.The report has said that most plants need to upgrade their on-site and off-site disaster management plans and communicate them to the concerned authorities and the local community.
