The central government has just over two years before the election code of conduct comes into force and no further initiatives may be announced. Here are four concrete and achievable ideas that could improve environmental governance, advance sustainable industrialisation, create jobs, and yield political dividends.
National mission on clean air. Air pollution exceeds the National Ambient Air Quality Standards in three-quarters of tier-1 (million-plus) cities. Many tier-2 cities could reach severe pollution levels. Air pollution is linked to 627,000 deaths annually; its adverse health impact is about three per cent of India’s gross domestic product. For every dollar invested in pollution control, $30 accrues in terms of healthier people, cleaner jobs and higher productivity.
A three-pronged nationwide approach – act, prevent, plan – would signal seriousness about air pollution beyond just a seasonal irritant for Delhi’s elite. For tier-1 cities, act to reduce average air pollution levels by 60 per cent in 10 years. There is no silver bullet but the solution set includes clean energy, 24/7 power to reduce dependence on diesel gensets, pollution control technology in industries and coal power plants, Euro 6 vehicular standards, public transport. Secondly, prevent tier-2 cities from crossing critical thresholds. The Air Act, 1981 should be amended to include financial penalties on industries for non-compliance with air quality standards. Further, by 2018-19, all 54 tier-1 cities should be covered by real-time PM 2.5 monitoring. After 2013, PM 2.5 monitoring in China went from zero to more than 400 cities today. This is doable. Finally, plan to connect transport, industry, waste, and renewable energy under the Smart Cities Mission.
Digital platform for pollution control boards. Since they were first formed in 1974, the regulatory responsibilities of state pollution control boards (SPCBs) have progressively increased without commensurate increase in capacity to monitor and enforce regulations. Many mandated inspections are not completed: A single technical officer might be responsible for 200-plus factories; vacancies are high due to budget constraints.
A good model is the extended green node (XGN) platform: An online portal that allows industries to directly feed information on pollution parameters periodically making it easier for the SPCB to track defaulters. Following Gujarat’s lead in 2009, XGNs are now in Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Uttarakhand. Earlier, there were 35 per cent water cess defaulters among industries in Gujarat. Under XGN, defaulters fell to seven per cent. The XGN platform can be replicated across all states by 2018-19. Administrators can avoid duplication of efforts across ministries, policy planners can develop a national baseline using reported environmental parameters, and the judiciary could use improved information to settle disputes. Further, policymakers could expand parameters for reporting to create a more comprehensive national database while also streamlining the administrative process.
Light up your roof. There is huge potential for residential rooftop solar in India. Due to differential grid electricity tariffs and a longer payback period than for the commercial sector, residential rooftop investments are lagging. A dedicated target – 15 gigawatts by 2022 – could push this sector further.
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First, focus on the Opex model, which shifts risks from the rooftop owner to the developer. The current capex model is contingent on loans to rooftop owners for whom initial investment is a big deterrent. Instead, developers could aggregate rooftop projects to secure finance; but they are also risk averse. What if the family moved before the project had paid back its investment? What if the property were sold? Banks are not ready to finance developers for residential projects due to these risks. Therefore, secondly, dedicated financial instruments are needed to cover developer risks. Risk guarantees and insurance mechanisms (by 2018-19) would nudge developers and investors to focus on the residential rooftop sector. Finally, awareness campaigns could motivate homeowners to demand such installations, increase market confidence, and attract more investors.
Sustainable solar irrigation. There are 19 million electric irrigation pumpsets in India (accounting for huge electricity subsidies); and 9 million diesel ones (imposing significant costs on farmers and the environment). Yet, only 45 per cent of the net sown area is irrigated even as groundwater levels in many regions are under severe stress. India could target 10 gigawatts of solar irrigation by 2022,to improve food security, increase water-use efficiency, deploy renewable energy, adapt to a changing climate, and improve farmers’ livelihoods.
Less than 1 lakh solar pumps have been deployed so far, constrained by a heavy subsidy model, which is difficult to scale. Which regions and types of farmers could be prioritised for maximum returns from solar irrigation? CEEW researchers have developed a multi-criteria assessment tool to categorise each district in India in terms of its viability. These criteria include groundwater levels, net irrigated area, area under cash crops, number of rural bank branches, etc. Secondly, solar pumps should be combined with water-efficient cropping practices – including micro and drip irrigation in water-stressed regions – and promoting agro-climatically suitable crops. Thirdly, a mini-grid policy could be introduced in all states by 2018-19 to particularly leverage solar irrigation assets as electricity sources for other consumers as well. This would reduce the temptation to withdraw excess water. Fourthly, procuring components in bulk – inverters, controllers, drives (akin to procurement of LED bulbs) – could lower overall system costs, making solar irrigation more attractive.
2016 has been a tumultous year. May the next two years deliver gains for all.
The writer is CEO, Council on Energy, Environment and Water
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@GhoshArunabha.