For sustainable industrial development, the need of the hour is
judicious, reasonable and planned use of the finite resources of land according
to their natural environmental properties. To cater to this need, the
preparation of Zoning Atlas for siting of industries, based on environmental
considerations has been conceived. The Zoning Atlas is not only the solution for
all the problems caused by haphazard industrial siting, but tackles the cause of
the problem itself. The Zoning Atlas identifies suitable sites for siting of
industries based on environmental considerations. The environmental parameters
and conditions are evaluated and quantified and the suitability of sites is
determined based on their sensitivity to air, water and land pollution. Economic
development and industrialisation have become synonymous and are integral part
of regional planning of a country. There is a need that apart from preventive
measures, proper siting of industries / industrial estates should be done,
especially in countries like India where the process of planned
industrialisation is still in its initial stage. Thus, environmental planning is
a proven tool for achieving sustainable development. Proper siting of newly
planned industries & industrial estates is a strong pollution preventive
instrument that ensures environmental soundness of the industrial development.
Site selection based on environmental criteria with the objective of minimising
adverse environmental impacts is, therefore, a vital prerequisite.
Since, the carrying capacity of the environment is not unlimited and
some areas or ecosystems are more susceptible to adverse environmental impacts
than others, the unplanned and haphazard location of industries might
substantially increase the risk to the environment. Environmental planning is a
proven tool for reducing the impacts from such risks. However, this tool has
seldom been used in this country. Proper siting of newly planned industries and
industrial estates is a strong pollution preventive instrument that ensures
environmental soundness of the industrial development.
What is Zoning
Atlas? The Zoning Atlas for siting of industries, zones and classifies
the environment in District Ghaziabad and presents the pollution receiving
potential of various sites/zones in the District Ghaziabad and the possible
alternate sites for industries through easy-to-read maps in the scale of
1:2,50,000. The methodology involves preparation of maps of various themes viz.
characteristics of the District Ghaziabad, Air pollution, Water pollution etc.
and uses of overlay procedure & GIS ( Geographical Information System ) for
arriving at sites which are most suitable for industrial development. The scale
for preparation of various maps is selected as 1:2,50,000 (1cm = 2.5km).
Objectives of Zoning Atlas Zoning is a legalized and
institutionalized form of land use management. It entails geographical
delineation and classification of lands into several categories i.e. zones by a
duely authorized regulatory agency with the effect that for each of the
different zones their use is regulated. The objectives of preparing a Zoning
Atlas for siting of industries are :
- to zone and classify the environment in a District;
- to identify locations for siting of industries; and
- to identify industries suitable to the identified sites.
With an
objective of promoting sustainable and planned development, the Uttar Pradesh
Pollution Control Board in consultation with Central Pollution Control Board -
Delhi has prepared the
first Zoning Atlas for Siting of Industries (based
on environmental considerations) for District Ghaziabad, under pilot phase with
the help of GIS. This document is now a public priced document, which is
available with Central Pollution Control Board - Delhi, Uttar Pradesh Pollution
Control Board - Lucknow and the Environmental Planning Cell at Regional Office,
Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board - Meerut.
Benefits of the Zoning Atlas : The Zoning Atlas, in addition to
streamlining the decision-making process has several benefits some of which are
briefed below:
- Provides a ready-reckoner for best suitable site and relevant environmental
information;
- Makes decision-making process simpler, faster, realistic, transparent and
reliable;
- Provides a basis for incorporating environmental aspects into physical (land
use) planning process that is lacking in the country;
- Helps in planning cost-effective pollution control measures and programmes;
- Helps an entrepreneur in readily finding out the location best suited to
site an industry thereby saving time, efforts, investment and risk instead of
heading for an unknown site, conducting environmental impact assessment and
awaiting clearance by the regulatory authorities;
- Helps develop infrastructure facilities, such as roads, water supply,
electricity etc. and provide common waste treatment and disposal
facilities;
- Helps check additional pollution in the areas already over-stressed with
pollution;
- Ensures that pollution potential of an industry is made compatible with the
local conditions of the site;
- Ensures that an industry, with high pollution potential desiring to locate
in a high risk area, will have to adopt clean technologies for manufacturing
process so as to prevent generation of wastes/pollution thereby making it
compatible with the receiving environment;
- Helps in increasing awareness of the public on type of industries and nature
of pollution anticipated in their neighbourhood well in advance; and
- Helps achieve sustainable development.