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Pranitha Muthuraju 7402ENG S5024938 STATE OF CLEANER PRODUCTION REPORT-SRI LANKA Assessment item-1 - Cleaner Production and Eco-efficiency (7402ENG) Submitted by Pranitha Muthuraju-S5024938 Course Convenor-Dr Sunil Herat Abstract Due to the developing economy, Sri Lanka is facing a rapid change in the industrial sector. Factors such as global warming and climate change are now considered as a major issue. In order to reduce the pollution Cleaner Production has to be implemented. This paper discusses about the current state of Cleaner Production in Sri Lanka and why it has to be implemented for the benefit of the economy. 4/22/2016

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Page 1: Cleaner production-Sri Lanka

Pranitha Muthuraju 7402ENG S5024938

STATE OF CLEANER PRODUCTION

REPORT-SRI LANKA Assessment item-1 - Cleaner Production and Eco-efficiency (7402ENG)

Submitted by Pranitha Muthuraju-S5024938

Course Convenor-Dr Sunil Herat

Abstract

Due to the developing economy, Sri Lanka is facing a rapid change in the industrial sector. Factors

such as global warming and climate change are now considered as a major issue. In order to reduce

the pollution Cleaner Production has to be implemented. This paper discusses about the current state

of Cleaner Production in Sri Lanka and why it has to be implemented for the benefit of the

economy.

4/22/2016

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Pranitha Muthuraju 7402ENG S5024938

1.0 Introduction The Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka lies

in the Indian Ocean and to the southwest

of the Bay of Bengal. The island consists

mostly of coastal plains, with mountains in

the south part. The country is divided into

25 districts. Next to India, Sri Lanka is the

country with high gross domestic product

(GDP) growth rate in South Asia .More

than 80% of Sri Lanka’s industries

operate in close proximity to Colombo

(Ministry of Forestry and Environment

2000). There ratio of small- and medium-

scale industries is large when compared to

large-scale industries.[1]

Cleaner production is a term coined by the

United Nations Environment Programme

(UNEP) .It is a mutual beneficial scheme

for both the industries and the environment.

The growth of industrial sector in Sri

Lanka has not only contributed for the

economy but also for the pollution. This

report focusses on the current state of

cleaner production to minimise pollution

and discusses the success stories in Sri

Lanka.

2.0 Description of environmental

issues Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Environment and

Natural Resources (MoENR) had listed the

major environmental problems like inland,

coastal water pollution and land

degradation. Urban areas like Colombo,

Sri Lanka are the most affected areas due

to the solid waste pollution. Perera

calculates that about 15% to 20% of the

domestic waste contains pollutants like

plastics, metals and glasses which are

hazardous to the environment[2].

2.1 Water pollution

Sri Lanka’s coastline extends to about

1300 km and almost 61.6 % of the

industries are located along the coastline.

Sectors such as Agriculture, tourism, oil

and shipping, leather industries are the

major form of water pollution. Tourism

industry is a major income to a country

like Sri Lanka. The CZMP 2004 reports

that, the tourism expansion in Hikkaduwa,

Beruwela and Unawatuna areas has

resulted in the degradation of water quality

and visual pollution. [3].The shipping

route is majorly affected by the oil spillage

which leads to visual pollution as well.

The NASA’s data of 2013[4] shows the

increase in nitrogen level in the shipping

routes and the orange line between Sri

Lanka and Singapore depicts the severity

of pollution. The world consumes nearly

425 trillion gallons per year contributing to

water stressed regions. In addition to this

the energy power plants contaminates and

uses water sources more than any other

industry[5].In this rate the availability of

fresh water would decrease rapidly.

2.2 Mismanagement of land use -tsunami

resettlement

The Tsunami on 2004 had a major impact

on Sri Lanka’s land pattern, disturbing 65

per cent of the coastline. Because the

tsunami water consists of sludge, the water

were considered to be polluted and

unhealthy after the impact.[6]Disposal of

tsunami debris and waste management

caused more impacts to the coastline and

the pollutants seeped to the ground water

polluting the freshwater source as well.

Due to a number of factors the residents of

the affected areas followed resettlement

leading to deforestation.

2.3 Rubber/Leather industry

The rubber and leather industries are

considered as one of the major polluting

industry in Sri Lanka. Natural rubber has

40 % of rubber and 60% chemical

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Pranitha Muthuraju 7402ENG S5024938

discharged into the environment. The

water contaminated by the discharge of

rubber industry cannot be used for other

purposes. Moreover most of the medium

and small scale rubber industries don’t

have enough equipment to do the end-of-

pipe treatment to avoid pollution.

2.4 Air pollutants and greenhouse gas

emissions

Air pollution is caused by gases such as

nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide and

volatile organic compounds. The Figure 1

shows the global damage in developing

countries due to indoor, outdoor and total

pollution. When considered to indoor,

outdoor pollution has a drastic impact on

the economy.

Figure 1: Forecast Global damage of

developing countries due to air pollution[7]

3.0 Why Cleaner Production is

needed in Sri Lanka Cleaner production has to be implemented

to develop a country’s economy. The

discussed environmental issues would be a

major problem in the economy of a

developing country like Sri Lanka.

3.1 Health sector and population

According to a survey conducted in Mela

Ela, a territory in Sri Lanka, the main

cause of Health deterioration was the

disposal of solid waste and black water

directly[8]. The survey implicates that

nearly 13% of the families are affected by

diseases like dengue due to the breeding of

mosquitos on the stagnant water. In

addition to this flash floods were seen

occurring frequently due to the deposition

of solid waste. If this situation continues

the breathing air and drinking water would

be major problems that are the essentials

of human life.

3.2 Flora, Fauna and Ecosystems

Sri Lanka is one of major country rich in

biodiversity .Degradation of the

biodiversity has been a major impact of

pollution. The Flora and Fauna provides a

lot of services such as preventing soil

erosion, providing resources and fresh

water. Certain insects like dung beetles

that feed on the fungi and other grass

family insects are being endangered by

climatic change as well [9]Forest Die back

has been recently identified in many zones

influencing climate changes which affect

the human life in return.

3.3 Tourism and Economy

Sri Lanka being famous for its benign

climatic conditions depends majorly on its

tourism sector. The tourism income

increased from US $ 1.3 million to US 147

million during 2002.Coastline and marine

ecosystem are the most important

attraction for tourists since 41 % of hotels

and guest rooms are located at the coast

line. Coral mining is an old practice it is

considered illegal and destroying of coral

reefs would disturb the marine

ecosystem[10]. The tourism sector is

disturbed due to this practice as coral reefs

are a major attraction.

3.4 Agriculture sector and rural poverty

Food is a product of biodiversity. The

climatic change caused by pollution not

only affects the human life directly but

also through the grown food quality. Wild

Relatives are affected by increase

temperature as the range is way higher

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Pranitha Muthuraju 7402ENG S5024938

than .Lack of quality would lead to the

import of crops instead of export due to

which the agricultural sector might

diminish .In addition to this Sri Lanka’s

30 % of the labour forces are employed by

the agricultural sector. This situation may

give rise to the rural poverty level.

4.0 Present scenario of Cleaner

Production in Sri Lanka The cleaner production for industries in Sri

Lanka was first launched in 1980 by the

enforcement of the National

Environmental Act. This imposed laws for

the industrial pollution .The organizations

failed to follow the laws due to certain

factors like availability of labour or lack of

financial help.

4.1 Environmental protection standards

At present various environmental

standards [11] exist that helps industries to

follow cleaner production.

The industries that dispose waste

water have to follow the tolerance

limit that vary according to the

disposal areas and the type of

industries.

The National Air quality standards

were setup by WHO (World Health

Organization) to limit the

greenhouse gases discharged to the

atmosphere.

Pollution Control and Abatement

Fund (PCAF) is a program

launched to assist the industries to

install waste water treatments and

other pollution control methods.

Common Waste Treatment system

has been established to help

industries with no space to install a

common treatment system.

The locations of the industries are

taken into consideration in the

Siting of Industry program, highly

polluting industries can be sited

together in an area with treatment

facilities.

The Central Environmental

Authority (CEA) has compiled an

inventory of all toxic chemicals

used in industries. The

International Register of

Potentially Toxic Chemicals also

helps the CEA in establishing Eco-

Efficiency.

4.2 National Cleaner Production policy-

2002

Based on the National Policy and strategy

for Cleaner Production the (NCPC)

National Cleaner Production Centre was

established.

NCPC Success story: This success was

achieved based on the involvement of the

NCPC. Rathkerewwa Coconut Industry:

The companies get benefited by cleaner

production in a financial way. The raw

materials wasted due to wrong production

methods would lead to a huge loss to the

company. Rathkerewwa is one of the

oldest coconut industry established in Sri

Lanka. Raw materials during loading and

unloading were wasted and the water

utilization was more than the range. The

National Cleaner Production Centre was

invited to study the place. The reason for

wastage was understood by conducting

energy audits. By changing the method of

operation and cleaning the workplace

about 70% of the water consumption was

minimized. The company saved nearly

USD 200,000[12].

4.3 UNIDO-Chemical Leasing

United Nations Industrial Development

Organization (UNIDO) introduced the

concept chemical leasing to enhance the

green energy concept. Chemical leasing

describes a model that shifts the preference

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Pranitha Muthuraju 7402ENG S5024938

from the sales of chemicals to the value-

driven approach.

Success story: The model was

implemented in the newspaper printing

and publishing sector. The printing

technology uses a lot of volatile

compounds that is not favoured by the

environment and workers. The Chemical

Leasing model was tested in a medium

scale printing business of Wijeya

Newspapers Ltd which prints one of the

major newspapers Sinhala Daily.

[13]Issues such as wastage of ink

consumed and spraying of ink in

production was identified. Rubber wiper

was installed as a solution. Due to the

implementation of chemical leasing Waste

water generation and ink was reduced

profiting financially.

4.4 Environmental monitoring and

auditing –present

In addition to the laws and practices

enforced, the industries are monitored and

audited frequently in regards with the

environmental issues. For example clean

air 2015 campaign was introduced for the

environmental issues.

4.4.1Carbon Footprint calculation

The Garment industries in Sri Lanka play a

major role in climate change. Analysis and

monitoring are carried out to identify

issues and create opportunities for the

industries to improve the environmental

value in production process.

Success story: MAS Holdings is the

largest apparel industry in Sri Lanka that is

associated with Marks & spencer, Nike

and many other major chains. The Result

of foot printing showed that the maximum

carbon footprint came from the production

of raw materials. The environmental issues

were addressed during the analysis[14].

4.5 Awareness and training programs

Educating common people serves as the

backbone of sustainable practices. Even

though few programmes are not deep

rooted they serve the purpose.

4.5.1 PROSPER Sri Lanka

PROSPER Sri Lanka was developed by

NCPC to create awareness and promote

the already existing Eco-Efficiency

programmes. The target includes nearly

300 professionals from various sectors of

the industry and the programme takes

place for 18 months. The programme

focusses on creating awareness about the

sustainability to the working class[15].

4.5.2 Eco-Tourism

Tourism is the main sector to improve the

economy in Sri Lanka. Tourism even

though improves the international status of

the country would affect the biodiversity

as some tourists would knowingly or

unknowingly affect the environment. This

programme concentrates on creating

awareness among people about

safeguarding the environment. They focus

on

Minimizing the impact on

environment while touring.

Learning about the local issues

related to environment.

Makes sure that the money spent

helps in improving the biodiversity.

Success story of Eco-Tourism:

COLOMBO-Sri Lanka implemented Eco-

Tourism and became one in the list of

world’s most popular travel sites on Trip

Advisor thus giving a positive boost to the

country’s economy .According to the list

[16] Saraii village was described as a

perfect Eco-Hotel to visit. Saraii village

implemented Agro-Forestry business

which motivated the villagers to

implement further good practices.

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Pranitha Muthuraju 7402ENG S5024938

5.0 Challenges and barriers Challenges faced by the organization vary

from poor management skills to

financing[17].

1. Management: Top level management

influences the company’s actions and

outcomes. The main focus of

management is production and it is not

interested in spending money on

Cleaner production. Suppliers and

customers can play an important role

in influencing the decision of the

management.

2. Knowledge: As the Cleaner

Production practices are not familiar

the lack of knowledge in technology

becomes a drawback. Lack of

technical resources and expertise. An

Environmental Management can be set

up to provide technical advice.

3. Financing: Difficulty in parting

funds separately .Government can

provide loans to improve the

production method.

4. Policies: Weak legal provisions

encourage the industries not to

follow the laws strictly leading to

disposal of excess waste to the

atmosphere.

6.0 Conclusion Implementing cleaner production in Sri

Lanka is not an easy task .The cleaner

production strategy may be easy to

implement in the new industries but for the

industries established over a three decade

span, complications arise in changing the

infrastructure. These industries have out-

dated processes and technologies which

does not support any change like end of

pipe treatment. Financial funds also

become a concern in implementing cleaner

production technology. Necessary

legislative provisions are already available

against these industries but due to the

flexibility in command on old industries it

becomes difficult[11].Even though cleaner

production techniques are gaining

importance ,rapid growth of technology

and economy favours the increase in

pollution level .A developing country like

Sri Lanka should have strict legal

provisions and efficient cleaner production

methods to progress into a developed

country. Focus has to be given on

implementation improvement and strict

legal provisions on a priority basis since

the action implemented so far has been

slow.

7.0 References [1] "Country Synthesis Report on

Urban Air Quality Management,"

2006.

[2] K. Perera, "An overview of the

issue of solid waste management in

Sri Lanka," 2003.

[3] R. Samaranayake, "Pre-and post-

tsunami coastal planning and land-

use policies and issues in Sri

Lanka," Coast Conservation

Department, Sri Lanka, 2006.

[4] (2013). A satellite’s view of ship

pollution. Available:

http://climate.nasa.gov/news/860/

[5] B. K. Sovacool, "Environmental

Issues, Climate Changes, and

Energy Security in Developing

Asia," Asian Development Bank

Economics Working Paper Series,

pp. 17-14, 2014.

[6] S. L. M. o. Environment and N.

Resources, Sri Lanka: post-tsunami

environmental assessment vol. 882:

UNEP/Earthprint, 2005.

[7] G. Hutton, "Global Damage Costs

of Air Pollution from 1900 to

2050," 2011.

[8] A. Abeygunawardane, N.

Dayawansa, and S. Pathmarajha,

"Socioeconomic implications of

water pollution in an urban

environment a case study in Meda

Ela Catchment, Kandy, Sri Lanka,"

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Pranitha Muthuraju 7402ENG S5024938

Tropical Agricultural Research,

vol. 22, 2011.

[9] D. Weerakoon and S. Wijesundara,

"The National Red List 2012 of Sri

Lanka, Conservation Status of

Flora and Fauna," ed: Ministry of

Environment, Colombo, 2012.

[10] P. T. P. KUMARA, W. Kumara, H.

Sandaruwan, R. Iroshanie, H.

Upendra, and P. Cumaranatunga,

"Impacts of Reef Related Resource

Exploitation on Coral Reefs: Some

Cases from Southern Sri Lanka,"

COASTAL OCEANS RESEARCH

AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE

INDIAN OCEAN, p. 23, 2008.

[11] E. Ramani, "Implementation of

industrial pollution control

programs in Sri Lanka," in Fifth

International Conference on

Environmental Compliance and

Enforcement, Workshop D, 1998,

pp. 16-20.

[12] National Cleaner Production

Centre. Available:

http://www.ncpcsrilanka.org/home.

htm

[13] "Chemical leasing:a global success

story-Innovative business

approaches for soundand efficient

chemicals management," ed.

Vienna: UNITED NATIONS

INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT

ORGANIZATION, 2011.

[14] Mohan Munasinghe, P. Jayasinghe,

V. , Ralapanawe, A. G. a. , and K.

Goonesekera, "Carbon and Energy

Footprints and Overall

Sustainability of Garment

Manufacturing in Sri Lanka,"

Munasinghe Institute for

Development (MIND) 2013.

[15] PROSPER Sri Lanka. Available:

http://prospersrilanka.org/index.ph

p

[16] Saraii Village. Available:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/InfoC

enter-a_ctr.treehouseEN1

[17] "BARRIERS TO ENERGY

EFFICIENCY IN INDUSTRY IN

ASIA," I. a. E. Division of

Technology, Ed., ed: United

Nations Environment Programme,

2006.