New Delhi, May 21 (KNN) The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) has come up with an advisory which said that energy efficient measures can reduce energy consumption by 20-30 per cent in MSME sector.
“Within the industrial sector, the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) segment is associated with low efficiencies due to several barriers such as use of obsolete technologies, non-availability of readymade technological solutions, low level of awareness/information availability, non-availability of technology providers at local/cluster level, relatively high cost of technologies and poor access to finance,” TERI said in a press release.
“It is estimated that there is a possibility to reduce energy consumption by up to 25-30 per cent by introducing energy efficiency measures in these sectors,” it added.
The advisory released on May-13, while setting an agenda for the new government addresses not only the way forward but also deals with the critical aspect of the cost of developmental inaction.
It has addressed key aspects pertaining to water, air pollution, waste, green infrastructure, transport, energy security, renewables and solar energy that need to be addressed by the new government.
TERI has proposed a few quick solutions which are basic and easily implementable. The measures will not only bring down the costs of inaction, but improve the lives of millions in a sustainable manner, it said.
Commenting on the advisory, Director-General, TERI, R K Pachauri said, “Environmental issues are often presented within the framework of conflict between environment and development. What is attempted here is a refreshing departure which provides a price tag on the damage that poor environmental quality and degradation is imposing on human society and how substantially lower-cost action can avoid this burden.
“What is included here are sectors largely within urban areas, but a similar analysis and presentation is essential for rural environmental degradation as well. Undoubtedly, that would be a far more complex challenge analytically, but given the large population in our villages, ignoring such analysis would be at the cost of ignoring the welfare of two-thirds of our population,” said Pachauri, who is also the chairperson of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
“To achieve tangible results in the first 100 days, the new Government will have to perform beyond expectations in the field of sustainable development, which broadly covers fundamental issues such as water, energy and food security,” the TERI press release said.
The new Government should focus on specific policies and institutional frameworks which will help achieve quick results and reverse the current trend, it said.
Significantly, the document has revealed some startling facts on how costs mount: Poor sanitation has cost the country Rs 5,400 crore; Of the 133,760 tonnes of waste generated per day only 25,884 tonnes is treated per day, while the rest is disposed on land.
Further, outdoor pollution has caused damage amounting to Rs one lakh crore annually. On the other hand, the cost in terms of disability adjusted life years (DALY) for diarrhoea among children due to poor sanitation is estimated at Rs 500 crore.
In addition, the number of mortalities due to ambient air pollution is 6,20,000; and 1,27,000 lives can be saved through the introduction of BS-V1 fuel quality and vehicular norms by 2030, TERI said.
"We need leapfrog measures now, that also cover the un-served population of our country," said Pachauri.
In the report, TERI recommends development of ‘Water and Sanitation Safety Plans’ for Jal Boards, Urban Local Bodies and rural piped water supply and sanitation services could be made mandatory in order to maintain high standards in the sector. A high-level committee may be formed having representations from all the relevant Ministries, Boards, Water and Sanitation organizations and important stakeholders in order to ensure effective and efficient implementation of the water and sanitation safety plans, it said.
With regard to air pollution, TERI recommends improvement in fuel quality and advancement of vehicular emissions norms is the key to reduce vehicular emissions. The emission reduction that can be accrued through the introduction of BS-VI fuel quality and vehicular norms can result in the reduction of 127,000 mortalities by 2030, and economic benefits ranging between Rs 3.9–6.7 lakh crore cumulatively till the year 2030. Benefits of implementation of these norms will soon outweigh the costs incurred on initial capital investments, it said.
As far as waste management is concerned, “The way to address waste mismanagement would be to build waste reduction strategies in overall waste management programmes, increase waste processing, maximize resource recovery, recycling and ensure that land requirement for ultimate disposal is minimized by adopting resource efficient processes,” it said.
For sustainable transport and infrastructure, TERI recommends that cities above the 0.5-million population mark be provided with adequate and quality bus transport. Million-plus cities should also have an action plan to implement transport demand management tools to encourage use of sustainable transport.
It has proposed higher taxes on non-compliant and inefficient appliances/buildings and developing transparent institutional mechanisms at the state and municipal levels, to facilitate implementation of resource efficiency thorough Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA).
Among other recommendations are setting up of a cabinet of secretaries (CoS) to define policy and address issues in an integrated manner for energy security, launching of a wind mission and making renewable power the focus of the new power policy.
The report highlights the need to make manufacturing in the solar sector competitive in the global market and to consider special incentives.
TERI has called for the new Union government to focus on bio-energy development and launch of an 'Indian Bio-Mission'. According to Pachauri, a similar analysis and presentation is essential for rural environmental degradation as well.
