India’s ports are not adequately equipped to screen the import of hazardous materials into the country, environment minister Jairam Ramesh told Parliament yesterday, echoing long-standing assertions by green activists.

Answering questions on import of polluting waste products, Ramesh said India needed to “tighten up” port procedures to bring about greater control on the import of hazardous wastes.

Environmental groups have long expressed concern that Indian authorities are allowing the import of potentially hazardous wastes, including clinical waste, incinerated ash waste and electronic waste.

A non-government organisation recently used government data to compile a list of wastes imported into India over the past five years and showed that several types of waste prohibited by law have entered the country.

Asked by MP Adhir Chowdhury whether Indian ports were equipped to check the import of hazardous materials, Ramesh said: “The honest answer is no.”

Ramesh said he had written to the finance minister about the need for a joint mechanism between the environment and the finance ministries so that the customs department turns “more sensitive to this area”.

However, environmental activists say various arms of the government have been encouraging the import of potentially hazardous waste.

The ministry last year itself allowed the import of electronic waste. “They’re consciously allowing hazardous waste imports under the garb of recycling,” said Ravi Agarwal, director of Toxics Link, an environment-watch group.

“Why do we need to import electronic waste when we have our own annual estimated burden of 400,000 tonnes,” Agarwal said. “Even China has banned imports of electronic waste.”

Environment ministry officials said they could not understand how port authorities allowed the import of incinerated municipal ash wastes. “We need greater co-ordination between environment and commerce ministries,” an official said.

The incinerated ash waste comes along with other consignments of waste as part of a process of “dumping” unwanted waste into developing countries, Agarwal said.

Ramesh said certain amendments to rules on import of hazardous waste did not liberalise the imports of such waste.

This facilitates the import of metal scrap which is no longer classified as hazardous waste, he said in response to MPs’ queries.

Courtesy:telegraphindia.com