Minamata Convention
India is a party to the Minamata Convention on Mercury and ratified the convention on 18.06.2018. The Annex A of the Convention provides the list of Mercury added products to be phased out for manufacture, import and export by 2020 along with exclusion list and measures to be taken for use of Dental Amalgam. Annex B of the Convention provides the list of manufacturing processes in which mercury compounds are used for their phase out by timelines listed therein and processes for which measures to be taken by parties to restrict the use of mercury or mercury compounds,
India has registered exemptions for phasing out mercury added products listed in Part 1 of Annex A by five years (till 2025) from the existing phase-out date of 2020. India has also registered the exemptions for phasing out the manufacturing process for production of Acetaldehyde in which mercury or mercury compounds are used as a catalyst at Part 1 of Annex, by five years (till 2023) from the existing phase-out date of 2018.
Proposals were made by European Union, Africa Region and Canada and Switzerland to amend the Annex A and B to the Minamata Mercury Convention.
The Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals (DCPC) sought the comments / views / concerns on the proposed amendments to the Minamata Convention on Mercury from the Indian industry associations and conveyed the same to the HSM division, MoEF&CC, to enable them to prepare and share the country’s position to the Secretariat of Minamata Convention for consideration. These proposals for amendments were considered in fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-4) held during the first quarter of 2022.
