Improving the environmental performance of the foundry sector in Kolhapur, Maharashtra

June 16, 2023

To address the issue of severe air pollution that plagues many parts of the country, the Government of India announced the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in 2019. Under this programme, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) identified 132 cities based on the air quality data obtained between the years 2011–15. These cities were non-attainment cities as they exceeded the permissible national ambient air quality standards. Out of 132 cities, Maharashtra is the state with the highest number of non-attainment cities i.e., 18 in number, Kolhapur is amongst one of those cities which falls under this category.

The action plan prepared by CPCB for Kolhapur city highlights that the major source of the emissions in the city comes from industries i.e., 32 per cent but the plan does not address the issues of industrial air pollution in detail, despite it being recognized as a major air pollution contributor in the city. The plan also misses the actionable points to curb air pollution from different industrial sectors.

Maharashtra’s Kolhapur foundry cluster is a renowned cluster in the country there are around 275 foundries in the city and most of them fall under the red and small-scale categories. The cluster contributes to 7 per cent of India’s casting production and simultaneously has a significant contribution to air pollution. The sector has fugitive emissions from raw material handling, casting, knocking-out shakeouts, fettling operations, and point-source emissions from stack.

The sector grapples with the issue of using inefficient furnaces, non-working of air pollution control devices, poor utilization of slag and sand, usage of polluting fuels, and poor housekeeping practices.

To delve deeper into the causes of pollution from this sector, CSE decided to conduct a detailed study on the foundry cluster in Kolhapur, to check the environmental performance of the foundry units and did a report titled ‘Improving the Environmental Performance of the Foundry Sector in Kolhapur, Maharashtra.’ CSE in its study visited around 50 foundries in Gokul Shirgaon, Shiroli, and Kagal 5 Star MIDC of Kolhapur and saw the sand reclamation units installed at Gokul Shirgaon and Shirloi.

This report attempts to highlight the air pollution issues of the foundry sector that arise from fuel usage, along with the technology and process in use in the units. It highlights the good operating practices in the Kolhapur foundry cluster and gives recommendations to curb air pollution, reduce GHG emissions and bring down the carbon footprint of the sector. 

For more details on the same, please contact

Divyansh Upadhyay
Programme Officer
Industrial Pollution Unit
Centre for Science and Environment
Email id: divyansh.u@cseindia.org