New Delhi: An event was held in New Delhi to mark the culmination of The India-Norway cooperation project on capacity building for reducing plastic and chemical pollution in India (INOPOL) and to disseminate its findings. The INOPOL project was a part of India-Norway Joint Marine Pollution Initiative and it involved partnership of key Indian and Norwegian organisations working in the sustainability space to explore various dimensions of plastic and chemical pollution in India, with particular focus on Gujarat and to jointly develop a holistic action plan for its mitigation. His Excellency the Ambassador of Norway to India Mr. Hans Jacob Frydenlund, Shri Bharat Lal, Director General, National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) and experts from Indian and Norwegian research organisations released report on “Plastic Waste Management Strategy for Gujarat” and “Action Plan for Reducing Persistent Organic Pollutants in Gujarat.”

The reports are based on the findings of joint research in Gujarat supported by the Royal Norwegian Embassy, carried out by Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Mu Gamma Consultants Pvt Ltd (MGC), The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology (CIPET), SRM Institute of Science & Technology and Toxics Link (TL),

Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador of Norway to India HE Mr. Hans Jacob Frydenlund said that the last three years have seen strong collaboration between Norway and India to build capacity and scientific knowledge to tackle plastic and chemical waste in India. He spoke about the growing Indo-Norway cooperation, particularly in the area of blue economy. Speaking about the importance of oceans, he said that global efforts are needed to deal with the issue of hazardous waste.

While addressing the gathering, Shri Bharat Lal, DG, NCGG spoke about the initiatives taken by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India to protect the environment, improve the quality of water & air, and make India free of single use plastic. He spoke about the ‘whole of society’ & ‘circular economy approach’ advocated by Hon. PM and said that they are intrinsic to Indian culture and civilizational ethos. He also spoke about the citizen-led ‘Lifestyle for Environment (LIFE)’ campaign and the Swachh Bharat Mission.

MGC Founder Ms. Girija Bharat while speaking on the occasion, said that it is scientific knowledge which informs policy and several recommendations from the INOPOL project can strengthen the link between, science, policy and society for the larger good. The INOPOL project strongly links the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) framework, global conventions such as the Stockholm, Basel and Rotterdam and several of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The INOPOL project has provided valuable knowledge and insights that India can use to achieve its ambitious environmental goals by reducing the amount of plastic and hazardous chemicals that cause great damage to people and the environment in the relevant areas, says project leader Eirik Hovland Steindal from the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA).

The INOPOL project (2019-2022) aims to address the highly interlinked challenges regarding marine litter, microplastics and Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in India and aims to support India’s ambitious targets to reduce plastic releases and to implement the Stockholm Convention on POPs by providing science-based knowledge and strengthening the local and regional capacity to prevent and mitigate the environmental threat posed by plastic and chemical pollution.

In the last five years, India’s plastic waste has more than doubled. In the absence of adequate systems for waste collection and management, the sharp increase implies that a lot of plastic waste from land ends up in the surrounding environment and the ocean. Adding to this, plastic waste contains chemical additives and environmental toxins, including so-called persistent organic pollutants (POPs), which further increase the burden on the environment.

Why Gujarat?
It is in Gujarat State the INOPOL project has taken place, more precisely in the river catchments connected to the cities of Surat and Vapi. It is one of India’s strongest financially growing areas, with a lot of industrial activity, and accounts for about one-fourth of the plastic production in the country. Several of India’s leading manufacturers of various forms of chemicals are also based in Gujarat. It is only natural that a significant share of India’s plastic waste comes from this area.

Some key findings
The teams’ researchers have analyzed samples of air, soil, sediments, cow’s milk, and fish in the area around the two rivers Tapi and Daman Ganga. The samples revealed a number of hazardous chemicals in the environment, including substances prohibited under the Stockholm Convention. The mapping of sources also shows that several of the POPs India has recently banned are still in circulation. The substances are used in agriculture, industry and products, the latter subsequently ending up as waste.

During the rainy season, the rainwater carries large amounts of plastic waste and microplastics into the rivers, which carry the plastic further into the sea. The INOPOL project mapped these fluxes through monitoring, laboratory analyzes and modelling. The project also studied the part of plastic collection that is done by informal waste workers in Surat and Vapi. The findings provide important knowledge to Indian authorities, that can be used to strengthen the integration of this workforce by improving working and living conditions in the informal recycling sector. The knowledge from the INOPOL project will also provide the Indian government with scientific knowledge for the upcoming negotiations on the international agreement on plastic pollution, commencing in November.
DeshGujarat