New Delhi, Jun 10, 2012: A German firm selected to remove
toxic waste from the Bhopal gas leak site has said it would
require over 4,000 special containers approved by the United
Nations as well as trained experts for the job.
Besides this, it would identify and train workers for
packing of 346 metric tonnes of toxic waste removal which can
be done during winters only.
"We need about 4,000-4,500 UN approved containers of 120
liters each. These containers would be purchased. All waste
product will be carefully packed and sealed before shifting
them to Germany," GIZ International Services' Regional
Director for South Asia Hans-H Dube told PTI.
He said at least 30 workers would be needed for the
highly specialised job.
"First we need to identify workers, train and provide
them with full protection (masks, special clothes and other
relevant gears). We can only do it (packaging) during winters
as there will be low temperature and that too during the
night.
"All these workers would be working in shifts of not more
than two hours due to the heavy load of safety gear they will
be putting on while working," Dube said.
A Group of Ministers (GoM) has yesterday approved
disposal of about 346 MT of toxic waste, lying within the
premises of the erstwhile M/s Union Carbide India Ltd (UCIL)
at Bhopal, in Germany via GIZ IS.
"The United Nations has set certain standards for the
containers to be used for these sort of jobs. There are five
countries namely the US, UK, Japan, France and Germany," Dube
said.
He said once at least 90 MT of waste is packed then a
transporter aircraft would be called to air-lift it adding
that the exact place of its treatment would be known later.
"A decision has not yet been made about where to dispose
of the hazardous waste. The chosen location must allow for the
waste to be disposed of safely, without compromise, and must
not endanger the environment or people's health. Facilities in
Germany, for example, fulfil these conditions," Dube said.
The worst-ever industrial disaster had taken place at the
Union Carbide plant on the intervening night of December 2-3
in 1984.
According to government data, a total compensation of
over Rs 3,000 crore has been given in 5,295 cases of death,
4,902 cases of permanent disability, 5,27,894 cases of minor
injury and 35,455 cases related to temporary disability among
others.
GIZ IS was approached in June 2011 by Central Pollution
Control Board (CPCB), Ministry of Environment and Forest for
the environmentally safe disposal of the waste at Union
Carbide site in Bhopal. Later Madhya Pradesh Government
approached GIZ IS for the technical support in environmentally
safe disposal of this waste.
"Based on the UN's comprehensive regulations for the safe
and responsible disposal of contaminated waste, a timeframe of
one year is planned for the project. Once the contaminated
soil has been adequately protected, transportation could
commence at the start of 2013 at the earliest," he said.
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and
Development (BMZ) has already given its approval for GIZ–a
federal enterprise–to take on the project which is valued at
about EURO 3.5 million (about Rs 25 crore), Dube said. (MORE)
"The soil in question has seen a build up of contaminants
such as agricultural insecticides. The Indian Government is
confident that GIZ will safely dispose of the contaminated
soil with the residual waste, which has not been adequately
protected and has been in there for almost 28 years," he said.
Dube said Indian incineration plants lacks the capacities
to dispose of the contaminated soil properly in
environmentally safe manner.
"GIZ's offer to dispose of the contaminated soil is in
keeping with the Basel Convention controlling trans-boundary
movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal, which is
designed to prevent these wastes from being transferred from
developed to less developed countries.
"The convention calls for toxic waste to be shipped to
another country in cases where the technology to dispose of it
properly is lacking at the local level," he said.
Over the past 20 years, the German federal enterprise has
taken on in the region of twenty-five similar commissions in
developing and transition countries, he said.
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