Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of News Item titled "2 killed in blast at illegal cracker unit in Thanjavur appearing in The Hindu dated 19.05.2025". The application is registered suo-motu on the basis of the news item titled 2 killed in blast at illegal cracker unit …
IN THE '40s and '50s, an abandoned canal in New York state's Love Canal neighbourhood became a dumping ground for toxic wastes produced by Hooker Chemicals and Plastics Corp. Later, the company filled up the land and gave it to the developing city of Niagara Falls, which constructed houses on …
The situation is, if anything, worse in the north Indian states like Punjab, where many industrialists acknowledge they are not even aware of the possibility of their products being toxic or of solid waste disposal norms. As Kuldip Raj, vice-president of Punjab Woolcombers Ltd, said, "This is the first time …
Storage: • The generator of hazardous wastes is allowed to store a maximum of 10,000 kg or a truck load, whichever is less, of the hazardous wastes on site for a maximum of 90 days. • The waste should be stored only in closed, specified containers in designated protected areas. …
THE concept of common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) was pushed by former environment minister Maneka Gandhi. But 5 years and vast sums of money down the line, CETPs seem to have become just another attractive official solution that never took off. The idea was to enable cash-strapped small-scale industries, which …
Industrial estates are proliferating in Gujarat and state pollution control officials admit that waste disposal has not been a priority consideration for any of them. The Ahmedabad-Vadodara-Surat industrial belt is packed with over 2,000 units in the organised sector and more than 63,000 smallscale units churning out chemicals like soda …
• On the outskirts of Ahmedabad, near the Vatva industrial estate, a strange sight greets visitors: stray dogs are tinged with a purple hue, splashed with blue or green. Cause: rambling through dumpyards around the estate, where toxic waste is thrown. • Two months ago, 3 people burnt their feet …
NORTH Korea is in the news again. Soon after it agreed to accept international inspections of its nuclear facilities, the South Korean government released a report that said North Korea operates eight chemical weapons plants and three biological warfare laboratories. However, the report gave no details of the chemical weapons …
YOU thought loofahs were just for scrubbing in the bath? Well, an Italian firm has come up with a new role for the fibrous skeleton of the gourd-like Luffa cylindrica. It can be a non-toxic and inexpensive substitute for polyurethane foam packing materials and polystyrene. And, expensive petroleum is not …
HOECHST, the German chemical company, continues to be plagued by accidents with the ninth so far since February 22 (See Down To Earth, April 30, 1993) consisting of toxic fumes that leaked from the main plant near Frankfurt. Neighbourhood residents, facing a danger from spreading fumes were asked to remain …
FOLLOWING a series of accidents at Hoechst AG, one of Germany's three major chemical manufacturers, stricter controls and guidelines are expected to be imposed on them. German federal minister for environment Klaus Topfer is determined to intensify pressure on the industry to adopt improved safety standards and in Hesse, the …
"We're not to blame," chemical traders plead righteously when asked about the delay in relocating hazardous chemical units from capital's highly congested 'Walled City' to safer areas. They point out the considerable delay is because they have still to be allotted new sites. The traders insist they would be only …
INDIA is now exports 40 per cent of the iso-proturon (a wheat pesticide) it produces, a far cary from two years ago, when it had to import a large part of its requirement. But in return for the increased in foreign exchange, the country will have to pay in terms …
