Soon, a hazardous waste disposal plant

To ensure that there is no repeat of the Mayapuri radiation incident and to make sure of the proper disposal of hazardous waste, the Delhi government will set up a hazardous waste disposal plant at Kanjhawala in Northwest Delhi. HT reports.

To ensure that there is no repeat of the Mayapuri radiation incident and to make sure of the proper disposal of hazardous waste, the Delhi government will set up a hazardous waste disposal plant at Kanjhawala in Northwest Delhi.

HT Image

Senior environment department officials said it would be a 'treatment, storage, disposal facility' where hazardous waste from across the Capital would be brought.

"Any substance or material which could be a substantial or potential threat to public health or environment is classified as hazardous waste. We look at four factors before classifying any waste as hazardous: whether it is inflammable, reactive, toxic or corrosive," a senior environment department official said.

Officials say that though Delhi produces more than 5,000 metric tonne of hazardous waste every year, there is no facility to ensure that it is disposed of in an environment-friendly manner.

Officials said more than 30,000 metric tonnes of hazardous waste could be lying in stores and godowns of industrial units or could even be lying in the open on the city's outskirts.

Though the Haryana government has such a plant in Pali and Delhi had even expressed its interest in treating its hazardous waste there, Haryana, despite the Centre's clearance, did not allow it, officials said.