Development in India is shaped by rapidly advancing industrialization. The Government of India has a vision to increase the manufacturing sector’s contribution to the GDP to reach 25% over the course of a decade. 100 million new jobs are to be created in the sector. Currently, there are nearly 3,000 designated industrial zones in India such as the industrial corridors, investment regions and manufacturing zones which are of enormous dimensions.
The risks associated with industrial development include increasing pollution levels, overuse of natural resources and increasing amounts of waste and wastewater leading to the endangerment of ecosystems. 150 river stretches and 43 industrial areas were classified as critically polluted by the Central Pollution Control Board in 2009. Pollution caused by hazardous substances from industry (waste, wastewater and emissions) and the overuse of natural resources (energy, water and raw materials) put sustainable development at considerable risk.
SEIP is a joint project of GIZ and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) within the framework of the Indo-German technical cooperation. SEIP works on topics of urban and industrial environmental management and focuses on environmental problems related to wastewater and waste management. In 3 selected states - Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Delhi - the project showcases sustainable technical solutions and business/management models on a pilot basis for subsequent upscaling and replication. The overall objective is to enable private and public sector actors to jointly implement strategies to achieve an efficient, environment- and climate-friendly industrial development.
The project’s outputs are grouped into 3 areas:
• Output A: Environment-oriented modernization of 3 industrial areas (showcasing solutions),
• Output B: Establishing appropriate framework conditions at national and state levels
• Output C: Knowledge management and dissemination.
To accomplish these outputs various activities are run at national as well as at project site levels, amongst others addressing wastewater conveyance, treatment, recycle/reuse, waste management, monitoring and process modification in individual industries. They are complemented by training, a skill development scheme and the setting up of a technology platform for know-how transfer and technology partnerships. Further, development and introduction of enabling framework conditions in the form of new policies, plans and support programmes to prevent and reduce pollution and to improve resource efficiency in industrial zones are being supported at the state and national level. The project also works on practical examples of management and planning methods for sustainable industrial zones that support women entrepreneurs in particular.
Project partners are private stakeholders such as industry associations, operators of industrial sites and companies, as well as relevant governmental entities.