Too Hot to Handle – Storage of Toxic Industrial Waste
India has tightened guidelines for storage of toxic industrial waste. But is it enough?
A fire at Ankleshwar forced India to rethink how it handles hazardous waste. Drums carrying dangerous industrial sludge flew amid leaping flames and burst in the air at a waste storage at the industrial complex in Bharuch district of Gujarat on April 3 last year. Ash fell all around. People in nearby villages were told to evacuate; many suffered coughing, headache, nausea and burning sensation in the nose and throat.
It could have turned into a disaster worse than the Bhopal gas tragedy but for the change in the wind direction away from other factories (see ‘Bhopal to Bharuch’, Down To Earth, April 30, 2008). Continue reading »
Filed under Environment, Pollution, Travel | Tags: Bharuch, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Gujarat, Hazardous Waste, Hazardous Waste Regulations, India, Ministry Of Environment And Forests (MOEF), Toxic Wastes, Waste Disposal, Waste Incineration, Waste Management, Waste To Energy, Waste Treatment | Comment (0)Toxic Waste kept for Safe Disposal in Bharuch Catches Fire
A Fire at a facility especially set up to safely store and dispose of hazardous waste at Ankleshwar in Bharuch district of Gujarat has revealed how callously dangerous waste is managed in the country. In what could have been an industrial disaster worse than the Bhopal gas tragedy, 250 tonnes of hazardous chemicals and oil kept in barrels at Bharuch Enviro Infrastructure Limited (beil)—of which pesticide giant United Phosphorus is a major equity shareholder—went up in smoke on the evening of April 3. The godown had stored over 12,800 tonnes of hazardous chemical solvents and waste oil, which far exceed the capacity of its incinerator.
“Had it not been for the change in wind direction within 10 minutes of the fire, it could have spread to and destroyed all the nearby factories in the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (gidc) and villages”
says Manoj Kotadia, manager, fire and safety, Disaster Prevention and Management Centre, Ankleshwar. Continue reading »
Filed under Environment, India, Pollution, Travel | Tags: Bharuch, Chemical Industry, Chemical Leakages, Gujarat, Hazardous Industry, Hazardous Waste, Health Effects, India, Legislation, Pesticide Industry, Waste Disposal, Waste Incineration | Comment (0)