India's fishery sector loses USD 2.2 billion annually due to wastewater contamination: Study
New Delhi (PTI): India's fishery sector loses over USD 2 billion due to untreated wastewater contaminating waterways, according to a study published on Wednesday.
It also said the country suffers an annual economic loss of USD 246 million from diarrhoea caused by contaminated drinking water due to poor wastewater management.
Launched at the World Ocean Summit in Japan by ocean health initiative Back to Blue and the Ocean Sewage Alliance, the study highlights the high cost of inaction in wastewater management in Brazil, India, Kenya, the Philippines and the United Kingdom.
Untreated or poorly treated wastewater is a major source of pollution and disease. When it enters rivers, oceans and drinking water supplies, the consequences are severe.
Among the five countries, India's fishery sector suffers the most, losing 5.4 per cent (USD 2.2 billion) of its economic value annually, followed by Kenya (5.1 per cent).
Since India is a major seafood supplier, this threatens both domestic food security and export markets.
Also, among the countries studied, India incurs the highest healthcare costs from diarrhoea linked to contaminated drinking water. With a wastewater treatment rate of just 21 per cent, nearly three times as many people are affected, resulting in annual costs of USD 246 million.
Brazil faces severe agricultural impacts as crops like soybeans are highly sensitive to soil salinity, worsened by irrigation with untreated wastewater.
India experiences lower proportional losses due to lower soil salinity but still suffers the highest absolute revenue loss (USD 1.2 billion), the study says.
Around 10 per cent of agricultural land in developing countries is irrigated with raw or partially treated wastewater, which often contains toxic heavy metals like zinc, chromium, manganese and iron. While wastewater nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus can initially boost crop yields, long-term use leads to soil salinisation and reduced yields.
Amelia Wenger, Conservation Scientist and Water Pollution Programme Lead at the Wildlife Conservation Society, said the cost of inaction is evident in India and beyond. "Investing in adequate sewage and wastewater infrastructure is the only viable solution," she said.
Where large-scale infrastructure is lacking, decentralised wastewater systems can offer practical alternatives and new high-tech innovations are emerging, she added.
Policymakers who look beyond infrastructure investment and focus on circularity can ensure wastewater is repurposed as organic fertiliser, biogas or even a source of renewable energy, Wenger added.
Like much of the developing world, India views wastewater pollution partly through the lens of water scarcity.
Asserting that expanding treatment capacity is key, Nitin Bassi, senior programme lead for sustainable water at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) said, "We need to improve both water quality and the usable quantity of water. If more wastewater can be captured, treated, and reused, it will reduce the pressure on our freshwater resources."
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
PM unveils Rs 10,601-cr fertiliser plant in Assam, unit to be commissioned by 2030
Namrup (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday laid the foundation stone of a Rs 10,601-crore brownfield ammonia-urea plant in Dibrugarh district of Assam.
The facility – Assam Valley Fertiliser and Chemical Company Ltd (AVFCCL) – will have an annual urea production capacity of 12.7 lakh metric tonnes and the project is scheduled for commissioning in 2030.
The PM, on the last day of his two-day Assam visit, laid the foundation stone of the plant here, located within the existing premises of the Brahmaputra Valley Fertiliser Corp Ltd (BVFCL).
In July this year, AVFCCL was incorporated at Namrup in Dibrugarh. The projectwas approved by the Union Cabinet in March this year.
ALSO READ: 9 killed, 10 wounded in South African pub shooting
AVFCCL is a joint venture among the Assam government, Oil India, National Fertilisers Ltd (NFL), Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Ltd (HURL) and BVFCL.
Modi arrived in Assam on Saturday on a two-day visit, during which he unveiled multiple projects worth Rs 15,600 crore, months before the assembly polls next year.
"The AVFCCL Namrup ammonia-urea project is being established as a modern, energy-efficient, world-class fertiliser complex with an annual urea production capacity of 12.7 lakh metric tonnes, at an estimated investment of Rs 10,601 crore," the company said in a statement.
It said this upcoming facility will play a pivotal role in meeting the fertiliser requirement of Assam, the northeast region, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh.
"Beyond fertiliser security, the project is expected to act as a major catalyst for industrial growth, employment generation and regional economic development, creating hundreds of direct jobs and thousands of indirect employment opportunities," AVFCCL said.
The company also asserted that the foundation stone laying ceremony marked the revival of Namrup's legacy as the cradle of India's gas-based fertiliser industry, and will herald a new chapter of growth, sustainability and agricultural prosperity for the entire region.
The 'Bhoomi Poojan' took place in presence of Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma along with other ministers, MPs, MLAs, senior officials and representatives of stakeholder organisations of the new company.
The state-run BVFCL is the only urea-making facility in the eastern India. The facility started production in January 1969, as a part of the Hindustan Fertiliser Corp Ltd (HFCL).
ALSO READ: Epstein files vanish from US Justice Department website hours after release
BVFCL was formed in April 2002 after hiving off the Namrup Unit of HFCL. It is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, with 100 per cent shareholding by the Government of India.
It is touted to be the first factory of its kind in India to use associated natural gas as basic raw material for producing nitrogenous fertiliser.
The company has played a crucial role in the development of the northeastern region and providing farmers urea fertiliser, which is produced from cheap and locally available domestic natural gas, officials said.
As per the official website of the Department of Fertilisers, the company is now producing neem-coated urea and two organic fertilisers – liquid bio fertiliser and vermi compost under the brand name of 'Mukta'.
BVFCL has two operable ammonia urea units at Namrup, with small capacities, which were established in 1976 and 1987.
