Cabinet ratifies Stockholm Convention banning on 7 hazardous chemicals
08 Oct 2020
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The union cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday ratified the ban of seven Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP’s) listed under the Stockholm Convention as hazardous to health and the environment.
“With today’s decision India is sending out a positive message to the world that we are active in this area and we do not tolerate health and environmental hazard”, said union environment minister Prakash Javadekar at a press briefing in New Delhi.
The Stockholm Convention is a global treaty to protect human health and environment from POPs, which are identified chemical substances that persist in the environment, bio-accumulate in living organisms, adversely affect human health/ environment and have the property of long-range environmental transport (LRET).
Exposure to POPs can lead to cancer, damage to central and peripheral nervous systems, diseases of immune system, reproductive disorders and interference with normal infant and child development. POPs are listed in various annexes to the Stockholm Convention after thorough scientific research, deliberations and negotiations among member countries.
Considering its commitment towards providing safe environment and addressing human health risks, the ministry of environment, forest and climate change had notified the 'Regulation of Persistent Organic Pollutants Rules, on 5 March 2018 under the provisions of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
The regulation inter alia prohibited the manufacture, trade, use, import and export seven chemicals namely:
- Chlordecone,
- Hexabromobiphenyl,
- Hexabromodiphenyl ether and Heptabromodiphenylether (Commercial octa-BDE),
- Tetrabromodiphenyl ether and Pentabromodiphenyl ether (Commercial penta-BDE),
- Pentachlorobenzene,
- Hexabromocyclododecane, and
- Hexachlorobutadiene.
All of these are already listed as POPs under Stockholm Convention.
With the ratification of the convention, government will implement control measures, develop and implement action plans for unintentionally produced chemicals, develop inventories of the chemicals' stockpiles and review as well as update its National Implementation Plan (NIP).
The ratification process would enable India to access Global Environment Facility (GEF) financial resources in updating the NIP.
The cabinet further delegated its powers to ratify chemicals under the Stockholm Convention to the ministers of external affairs and environment, forest and climate change in respect of POPs already regulated under the domestic regulations thereby streamlining the procedure.
India had ratified the Stockholm Convention on 13 January 2006 as per Article 25(4), which enabled it to keep itself in a default "opt-out" position such that amendments in various annexes of the convention cannot be enforced on it unless an instrument of ratification/ acceptance/ approval or accession is explicitly deposited with UN depositary.
