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Where is State Pollution Control Board?
Scores of Industrial-units sit over heaps of hazardous waste; none bothers

Akshay Azad
JAMMU, Mar 11: In brazen violation of environment related norms, several industrial units falling in yellow and red category in Jammu and Kashmir are storing more than 20,000 metric tonnes of hazardous waste annually inside their own premises, since their establishment in state.
The State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) gives only permission of 90 days to these industrial units for storing the hazardous waste, but in absence of any disposal facility the permission is being extended since last many years, inviting threats of tragedy in industrial areas.
Sources in SPCB informed Early Time Plus that as per the last inventory submitted by State Pollution control Board (PCB) to Central Pollution Control Board in the year 2007, 194 industrial units were producing 16958.16 metric tonnes of hazardous waste annually.
"In the last five years, more than 100 industrial units have been registered with PCB and presently there are more than 300 industrial units which are producing hazardous waste. The quantity of hazardous waste has also increased in last five years and approximately it is more than 20,000 metric tonnes annually", sources said.
As per the guidelines of Central government for the management of Hazardous waste, sources said, the industrial units have only permission to store the hazardous waste for 90 days. "In absence of Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facility for Hazardous waste in the state, the permission for storing the hazardous waste can be extended. Since the establishment of industrial units in Jammu and Kashmir state same have been storing the hazardous waste inside the premises of their industrial units and the permission of storing the waste is being extended by PCB since last many years", they said.
The pesticide units, recycling units of metals, battery units, pharmaceutical factories, paper and pulp factories, steel rolling mills, Paint factories, Ink factories, Chemical factories, Oil factories, petroleum factories and others are the units which produce
hazardous waste.
Sources further said that many industrial units falling in red category were in Samba industrial area and were storing industrial waste in their premises since last many years inviting threats for labourers and people living in adjoining areas.
"Last year due to leakage of some poisonous waste at Samba industrial area, around 20 cattle heads were killed that could be also due to leakage of poisonous waste stored by various industrial units inside their premises", a source in PCB alleged.
He further said that the regular storage of hazardous waste by industrial units since last many years could cause great damage if the waste would be leaked but government was not serious to create disposal facility for hazardous waste.


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