Indian Ports Initiatives to Cleanliness
For the first time ever, the twelve major ports under the Ministry of Shipping of India have been ranked on sanitation parameters, based on the efforts undertaken by them to counter waste generating sources with respect to port operation, office area, township area and the response to incoming ships.
The assessment methodology included official interview, direct observation by the designated team from Quality Council of India and stakeholder’s interaction. The exercise was undertaken during the ‘Swachhta Pakhwada’ (Clean Fortnight) observed from the 16th to 31st of March 2017.
Quality Council of India (QCI) was tasked to assess the Swachhata activities undertaken by all the Ports. While Haldia and Vizag ports bagged the first and second ranks respectively, almost all ports have achieved the benchmark for cleanliness or are well above it.
The ‘Swachhta Pakhwada’ was a major sanitation and cleanliness campaign launched by the Hon’ble Minister of Shipping, Nitin Gadakari on the 16th of March 2017 at the Shipping House in Mumbai, and observed by all the twelve major ports, five PSEs and seven attached offices/organizations of the Ministry of Shipping.
This was a culmination of one year of activities undertaken to promote the vision ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ (Clean India Movement) launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 2nd October 2014.
The ‘Swachhta Pakhwada’ not only emphasized cleanliness and sanitation but brought the focus on the setting up of ‘Green Ports’ for sustainable, environment friendly, long term development of ports.
The emphasis is on state-of-the art planning and implementation of an Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan or the ‘Green Plan’ in all Ports. This will be benchmarked to international standards, conventions and parameters. A consultant of repute has been appointed for this on 30th March 2017.
Approximately 42,000 employees of all organizations under the ministry participated in this cleanliness drive to make this a success. Better organizational and employee discipline to promote a drive against spitting and spilling of plastics & wastes was observed during the campaign.
All 193 lighthouses across India have been solarized and this mega drive culminated during the ‘Swachhata Pakhwada’. Clean and green energy is now used by the lighthouses, which generate 1.4 MW/hr of clean energy.
Besides this an ambitious target of generating 100 MW of solar energy has been set up for the twelve major ports against which 23 MW was achieved by March 31, 2017.
