It is observed that 1 % increase in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) leads to 1 to 3 % increase in generation of hazardous waste. Given the high GDP growth rate in India is rapidly accelerating, it can be reasonably projected that the hazardous waste generation in the country would increase substantially. In such circumstances bioremediation is a very important technology today. This is a process or technology that uses biological organisms to reduce or remediate the concentration or toxicity of a pollutant assumes importance. “Depending on the nature of waste, physico-chemical/bio-logical treatment, secured land disposal, incineration or any other mode of safe and environmentally sound disposal is adopted, the Minister added.
Expressing his concern at the outcome of industrialization in last few decades, Shri Bansal said that it has led to the depletion and pollution of precious natural resources, besides the generation of huge quantities of hazardous wastes, which have further aggravated the environmental problems. Its effective management, with emphasis on minimization of generation and recycling/ reuse is essential. Shri Bansal informed that the Ministry of Environment and Forests has laid down a road map to reach the goal of “Zero Disposal of Hazardous Waste”, adopting a holistic approach. i e encompassing reduction at source, reuse, recycle and recovery through infusion of cost-effective innovative technologies, processes and practices.

It is a common experience that organochlorine pesticides are extensively used for the control of agricultural pests and vector borne diseases. These pesticides have been reported not only to cause serious diseases in humans but are detrimental to soil micro-flora and micro-fauna. The use of these pesticides, especially DDT, HCH, aldrin and dieldrin, has therefore been either banned or restricted in several countries including India. Although there is a general decline in residue levels, the ban or the restricted use has not completely eliminated the residues of these compounds and their metabolites from the environment.



Shri Bansal said, “Every year many technologies are being invented and commercialized for bioremediation. This highlights the need for a broader legal defense of these inventions. Intellectual property rights are supposed to be an important incentive for protection of research and development and they are considered to be a necessary pre-condition for science and technology to progress. Bioremediation shows a duality of research, i.e. a discovery could simultaneously have both basic characteristics and industrial applicability. IPRs facilitate the creation of a market for ideas, encourage further investment in ideas with commercial potential, and promote sharing and exchange of knowledge that might otherwise remain secret. In India, 25 patents have been granted by the Indian Patent Office in the area of bioremediation during 1971 to 2008. A positive feature in this regard has been the involvement of Indian Universities in the patenting process.”

The Minister said that it is a matter of regret that industries are yet not aware of technologies available in this area. They are reluctant to adopt even proven technologies for the fear of getting branded as polluting industries, academia-industry interaction is low, absence of National strategies for development of customised technologies for the specific needs of various industries and policy dialogue among various stakeholders is missing.

The Department of Biotechnology plays a pivotal role in promotion of science & technology in the country. The department’s activities range from promoting high end basic research and development of cutting edge technologies on one hand to providing the technological requirements for the common man through development of appropriate skills and technologies on the other. In the area of bioremediation the technologies for treatment of oil sludge in petroleum extraction, treatment of dye and sago effluents, leather and leather-waste and phyto-remediation of dumps in mining destroyed lands have been commercialized.

This conference aims to provide a major interdisciplinary approach for presenting novel strategies from environmental science focusing on worldwide problem of HCH (hexachloro-cyclohexane)- contamination which is enormously affecting environment worldwide. There are around 4-7 million tons of HCH muck that lies scattered at different locations around the world and its decontamination is a major challenge before the scientific community.

This conference is aimed at showcasing and sharing the knowledge generated in the network programme Bioremediation Strategies for Hexa-chloro-cyclo-hexane, being implemented for a decade under the Indo-Swiss Collaboration in Biotechnology. Leading scientists from India and abroad including Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Spain, USA and Japan are participating in this Conference. This conference will provide a platform for the exchange of ideas about recent trends and bioremediation strategies of HCH and other chlorinated compounds among academicians and researchers. The outcome of this conference is expected to provide appropriate strategies for bioremediation of persistent pollutants.