Awareness Workshop (Webinar) on Japanese Environmental Technologies to monitor emissions from thermal power plants and other energy-intensive industries in India

Air pollution is a serious problem in India, and 14 out of the world’s 15 most polluted cities are located there, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) database from 2018. To improve the situation, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) formulated the National Clean Air Programme in 2019. However, installation of emission control systems including flue gas desulphurisers (FGD) and denitrification equipment in thermal power plants and other energy-intensive industries has lagged behind the plan, and prompt action is required. 

Based on these circumstances, on 17 February 2021 the Kansai Research Center (KRC) of the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) took up the issue of air pollution in India and hosted an awareness workshop on Japanese technologies to monitor emissions from thermal power plants and other energy-intensive industries in India. The objective of the workshop was to inform Indian stakeholders about the status of implementation of smoke emission control and management in thermal power plants, one of the main causes of pollution, and the importance of introducing technologies to accurately measure and evaluate smoke emissions.

Based on a Memorandum of Cooperation signed in 2018 between the Ministry of the Environment, Japan (MOEJ) and the MoEFCC in the field of environmental cooperation, this workshop focused on the theme of air pollution from pollution control (air, soil and water), with support from MOEJ. The workshop was also supported by the “Blue Sky Initiatives”, which is promoted by the Embassy of Japan in India to help improve the country's air quality by utilizing Japanese technology, and by the Japan Environmental Technology Association (JETA). 

This workshop was attended by about 140 participants, mainly from the CPCB, energy and pollution control related organizations in Maharashtra and West Bengal, public and private thermal power plants, other energy intensive companies (power, engineering, petrochemical, etc.), NPOs and Japanese companies.

In the workshop JETA shared examples and outcomes of activities implemented to improve air quality in China, and recommended similar efforts in India. HORIBA, Ltd., a member company of JETA, introduced both issues and solutions in the field of smoke monitoring systems. During the panel session the State Pollution Control Boards (responsible for controlling and regulating air pollution) as well as Indian companies reported on the status of implementation and issues related to smoke monitoring, and actively exchanged opinions.

In addition, with the support of the Ministry of the Environment, Japan, the Kansai Research Center of IGES has been operating the “Japan-India Technology Matchmaking Platform (JITMAP)” in collaboration with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). So far, JITMAP has focused on low-carbon and energy-saving technologies, but there are plans to expand the scope to include environmental technologies in the future.