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)