The recent seizure of chemical waste sent for disposal but found diverted for illegal sale has once again elicited focus on the functioning of the the Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board (UEPPCB) and various other factors including alleged corruption that result in blatant violation of the law regarding scientific disposal of industrial and chemical waste.
The board has periodically penalised industrial units for violating pollution control norms but this has not stopped the improper disposal of chemical waste and its diversion to the black market which poses not only an environmental but also a security threat considering the porous parts of Uttarakhand’s international border with Nepal and China and the possibility of such diverted chemical waste being used in anti-national acts. Considering the thousands of tonnes of hazardous waste generated by dozens of such industrial enterprises, observers aver that the authorities concerned have not done the needful to enforce the pollution related norms.
It is pertinent to mention here that Sahaspur police recently nabbed a person with a cache of more than 100 different types of chemical waste in solid and liquid forms. Questioning by the police revealed that earlier in March, the ONGC had handed over more than 300 kilogrammes of solid and liquid waste chemicals to a processing enterprise at Rudrapur in Udham Singh Nagar district to be destroyed. However, one of the accused in this case diverted the waste chemical and instead of destroying it, transported it to a location in Dehradun district with the intention of selling the chemicals in the black market.
According to the National Chemical Management Profile for India, as per the Hazardous Waste Management Rules, there are 39 industrial units generating about 7,000 tonnes per annum of hazardous waste in Uttarakhand.
Though this number and quantity varies depending on various factors, the UEPPCB has not been able to take effective action against industrial enterprises found violating the waste disposal laws. On condition of anonymity, an official said that the board had taken various measures issuing notices and even ordering the closure of industrial enterprises flouting the law especially in recent years which have seen the National Green Tribunal issuing directions to UEPPCB and others concerned regarding action against the pollution and polluters.
“Earlier the board was facing the problem of shortage of resources but now the human resource has been enhanced. However, due to various factors including corruption, political interference and pressure from the industrial lobby the UEPPCB has not been able to take any major action though it has penalised some polluting industrial units and even ordered the closure of some, the polluting enterprises resume work soon and continue to operate without meeting the waste disposal regulations,” said the official.
When contacted, the UEPPCB environment officer Chandan Singh said that member secretary of the board, Vinod Singhal would be able to provide the information sought. Singhal was not available for his statement regarding the issue despite repeated attempts.