Abstract

Despite contributing significantly to output, employment, entrepreneurship, and exports, India’s small-scale industries generate excess pollution in the same line of production where medium and large-scale units are relatively less polluting per unit of output produced. Widely dispersed small scale enterprises pollute air, water, agricultural fields and public drainage system in the neighboring areas with potentially harmful consequences. Some of these pollutants are highly toxic. This paper shows how excess pollution of the small-scale industries results from the intrinsic nature of the production process that this sector employs, the nature of the market that these industries cater to, logistic and financial hurdles that these small units operate within including the limitation of space and back-up infrastructure, inputs and technology used, human and skill factor, and waste disposal practices. The paper makes a reference to the polluting behavior of small-scale units operating in food processing industries, paper mills, tanneries, chemicals and pharmaceutical industries, hosiery units, foundries, battery recycling, glass manufacturing, brick manufacturing, cement, ceramic, asbestos, mining, cutting and polishing units. The paper concludes with a section on the anti-pollution regulation in India relevant to the small-scale sector and the challenges faced in enforcing the regulations in the context of development.

Author

Shampa Bhattacharyya   ( Pages 1-22 )
Email:shampa@hrc.du.ac.in
Affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, Delhi       DOI: https://doi.org/10.58517/ITAS.2024.17101

Keyword

small-scale, pollutants, tanneries, pharmaceutical, industries

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