The 'Project Green Ports' has two aspects – 'Green Ports Initiatives' relating to environmental issues and 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan' – and is being executed through Indian Ports Association
All major Indian ports will have to undergo an audit to become 'Green' and 'Swachh'.
The Union shipping ministry has conducted a pilot study at Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT), which saw the over 70% compliance. The remaining 11 major ports will also undergo the audit.
"Quality Council of India has been engaged to conduct an audit under the larger 'Project Green Ports' of the Ministry of Shipping," said a source.
The 'Project Green Ports' has two aspects – 'Green Ports Initiatives' relating to environmental issues and 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan' – and is being executed through Indian Ports Association (IPA).
The MbPT was given 718 points out of 1,000 in a pilot study at the port during the last few months.
The study focused on five broader aspects – sanitation & cleanliness, solid & liquid waste management, open defecation-free status, behavioural change communication and port beautification.
During a recent IPA meeting, a decision was taken to conduct similar studies for the remaining 11 major ports.
India has 12 major ports -- Mumbai, Jawaharlal Nehru Port (Navi Mumbai), Kandla, Marmugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Kamarajar (Ennore), V. O. Chidambaranar (Tuticorin), Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia).
The other initiatives under Project Green Port include acquiring equipment required for monitoring environmental pollution and dust suppression system, setting up projects for energy generation from renewable energy sources, completion of shortfalls of tier-I oil spill response facilities, prohibition of disposal of almost all kinds of garbage at sea and improving the quality of harbour wastes.
Lighting systems at the ports will also likely be replaced to go green. A final call is yet to be taken if the existing lights are to be replaced with Light Emitting Diode (LED) or Light Emitting Plasma (LEP) systems.
"In order to achieve these objectives, training will be provided to the staff in order to generate awareness and inculcate a positive attitude towards keeping the environment clean and green," said a shipping ministry official.
The major ports handle around 61% of India's total cargo traffic. As per the data available, these dozen ports handled 447.05 million tonnes of cargo during the initial six months of FY17. The average turnaround time at major ports has come down from four days in 2014-15 to 3.42 days during the ongoing fiscal.
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