In the 80s, some rules on vehicular pollution were announced by the transport commissioner's office. Meetings were held with transporters, manufacturers of chemicals and petro-chemicals, and efforts made to enforce the rules. The transport commissioner's office even brought out a booklet highlighting the fact that 60 per cent of the pollution in Mumbai was due to vehicles.

It never occurred to the authorities to improve public transport, the local railway and bus transport to encourage car owners in suburbs to use public transport when going to work. If the government can find finance for flyovers, it can also find finance for improving railway and bus transport.

There is another way of reducing vehicular pollution ban use of trucks, buses andcars more than 10/12 years old. The owners will oppose this, but this problem can be overcome with incentives offer new trucks, buses and cars in exchange of old ones at an incentive price, i.e., reduce taxes and ask manufacturers to reduce profit margin for a limited period.

The problem of pollution control in Mumbai is, it is imposed by the government. The measures were never discussed with the manufacturers, transporters and the public before being enforced. What we have is a government by edict, not by consent. Legislation comes first, enforcement second, agitation comes next and then comes discussion and amendment.

The Dutch have adopted an approach called the green polder model, where manufacturers, authorities and the public discuss the issue and evolve a consensus and later a covenant a voluntary agreement that would be signed by the manufacturer to reduce pollution in a time-bound period. The Dutch government and industry are working together for a better environment under this model.

It allstarted when a newspaper published a picture of a truck of DSM, a chemical multinational owned by the government, dumping chemical waste illegally. The company's chief executive was immediately summoned by the Minister of Environment, and the company agreed to draw up a Company Environmental Plan (CEP) to reduce pollution. This episode led to further discussion with industry as to how industrial pollution could be tackled.

Former Environmental Minister Nijpels recalls: ``We spoke with all major sectors of society and held brainstorming sessions on environmental policy. Thus the foundations were laid for the National Environmental Policy Plan.''The first National Environmental Policy Plan (NEPP) was introduced in the Netherlands in 1989. After identifying problem areas, the government set up seven target groups industry, agriculture, traffic and transport, etc.

Since industry is a major polluter, ten sectors were identified for special attention: primary metals, chemicals, printing, dairy industry,metalworking and electrical engineering, textiles, paper and cardboard, meat industry, rubber and synthetic materials and cement and cement products.

Consultative Committees were formed for all these sectors, which prepared environmental profiles of the sectors, including the nature of pollutants, emission levels etc. From this data emerged concrete targets to be achieved. An independent body was set up to assist, monitor and compile workbooks for each industrial sector. The most vital part of this exercise is voluntary compliance by each company and each sector to achieve the target. Since deadlines have been set in the company environment plan (CEP) and are being monitored by an expert body, there is also a mechanism to ensure the company concerned adheres to CEP. The covenants also have provisions for sanctions.

The results of this approach have been impressive. Under a `multi-year agreement' signed between government and industry, it was agreed that by the year 2000 industry would increase energyefficiency by 20 per cent. By 1996, industry had reduced energy consumption by 12 per cent. This agreement was supervised by NOVEM, a semi-public body with technical knowhow that advises industry.

The emissions of most pollutants have come down in spite of increased production. There has been considerable reduction in industrial emissions since 1990: SO2 by 44 per cent, NOx by 22 per cent, VOC by 43 per cent, fine particles by 52 per cent. CO2 emission has been constant even with increased economic activity. Performance of the water sector has been so good, the target for 2010 has already been achieved. The dairy and printing sectors are expected to be on target.

However, there has been a shortfall in some sectors. In the primary metals sector, emissions of NO2, SO2, fluoride and cadium are not likely to be met by 2000. In the case of cadium, 50 per cent of the target would be achieved by 2000, and SO2 target would be achieved in full by 2015. In the case of the chemical industry, 90 per cent of thetarget would be fulfilled. The most important benefit of this experiment is the realisation that government and industry are not adversaries but partners in achieving social good.

Here is an idea whose time has come. Can we give in India give a chance to cooperation, discussion and consensus? All these years three vital segments of our society - government, industry and NGOs - have fought each other, standing by their part of the truth. We want development and also clean air and clean water. The big challenge before us is how to harmonise our need for development with the need to preserve our ecology. A solution can come only from discussion and consensus. After all, successful countries do not do different things, they do things differently.

(The author was formerly economic and commercial adviser to the Consulate General of the Netherlands)