Studies on feasibility of some water quality trading aspects with end of pipe treatment augments Towards enhancement of environmental performance in firms and CETPs

Abstract

Environmental performance is at the heart of the cap and trade approach. The basic idea of this newlinemechanism is to meet environmental goals at lowest possible cost; compared to other newlineenvironmental policies such as command-and-control or emissions taxes. Simple in concept, newlineemissions trading can become complex in practice when considering all elements that must be in newlineplace. Water Quality Trading (WQT), is a type of emission trading, to reduce water pollution to newlinethe desired level, with minimum treatment cost. The present investigation has attempted to newlineevaluate the potential of WQT under the Indian scenario and visualize its benefits through reality newlinechecks. newlineand#61623; A detailed logical framework that links causes and effects of treatment systems has helped newlinederive a body of empirical evidences to substantiate the credibility of some treatment systems. newlineand#61623; Assumptions about performance and their determinants helped map relevant correlates. newlineand#61623; Field investigations, treatability experiments and mathematical modelling helped derive newlineempirical evidences. newlineand#61623; Data on parameters was gathered about the performance of Common Effluent Treatment Plants newline(CETPs) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) as suitable pollutant to be traded. newlineThe investigation was inspired by a survey by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) of 88 newlineindustrial clusters across the country. The CPCB reported 43 clusters as critically polluted with a newlinecomprehensive environmental pollution index (CEPI) above 70. CETP-Vatva, a site of this study newlinewas one of the critically polluted areas with CEPI 74.77 in 2009, 87.46 in 2011 and 83.44 in 2013, newlinequite above the criterion for critically polluted CEPI score. CETP-Vatva demonstrated the fact that newlineWQT context could become increasingly complex, if heterogeneous / diverse industrial sectors are newlineconsidered for their effluents. This was in contrast to the CETP-Palsana with homogeneous newlineindustrial sectors. newlineData pertaining to actual effluents released for one hundred and eleven industries on a daily basis for three months at Palsana. and authori