Even as legal experts refuse to buy government’s claim that 350 tonnes of waste is no source of pollution and factory premises pose no health risk to humans, a study is going on to incinerate the waste in some cement kiln. According to sources, a final report would come by end of this month or in January. If a well placed government source is to be believed, the Central Pollution Control Board and National Council for Cement and Building Material are in dialogues over the issue.
About 350 tonnes of toxic waste was to be incinerated in Ankleshwar, a hazardous waste site, but the Gujarat Pollution Control Board had refused to accept the waste and backtracked from the earlier assurance. Half of the solid waste (total 376 tonnes) was to be land filled and the rest was to be incinerated at Bharuch Enviro Infrastructure Ltd (Beil) in Ankleshwar. A case is pending with the Supreme Court for disposal. “At prima facie a cement kiln is more appropriate than an incinerator. The initial studies have confirmed that a cement kiln incinerates thousands of tonnes of limestone and if we mix the waste with the limestone in parts, it will leave negligible affects,” said the source.