Environmental evaluation for Porcelain and Ceramic factory

The paper explicitly presents the environmental evaluation for construction of new “Porcelain and Ceramic factory”. The study is conducted considering the construction and operation activities, infrastructure plan and process, site specific baseline studies for physical, biological and socio-economic settings of the study region. Various different techniques were employed for assessment of impact on the environment such as: review of secondary data and collateral information; analysis of thematic maps; application of remote sensing and GIS; reconnaissance filed survey; topographic and land use land cover survey to investigate onsite and offsite areas; air (mobile air lab deployment) and noise study; geotechnical survey (to investigate groundwater availability, depth); soil analysis; ecological study (Transect method to determine vegetation density and distribution pattern) and wildlife survey; and socio-economic considerations. The baseline condition showed normal air quality for all the major air pollutants like SO
₂
, NO
₂
, NO
_x
, CO, O
₃
, except the levels of Non-Methane hydrocarbon (NMHC). During operation phase it is expected to have particulate matter and emissions of fluorine and lead compounds. It was studied different kind of process waste such as streams of different sludge, broken tiles, broken refractory material; solids from dust treatments, used sorption agents and packaging waste originating from the manufacture of ceramic products will possess risk to the environment which would be reused in the plant's own production or in other ceramic works. Therefore the impact of wastes on land (soil) rarely impairs the soil or poses very less impact on low abundance of flora and fauna at the site. The main occupational health risk identified is related to the presence in the workplace of fine airborne particulate in the form of silica dust (SiO
₂
), deriving from silica sands and feldspar; and exposure to heat from furnaces or other hot equipment. 80 % of water used would be recyclable per day as conservation measures. The Ceramic & Porcelain Tile Manufacturing project is reasonably good project for development of nation, provided all the environmental protective and sustainable measures mentioned in the paper being executed successfully.