Cautious waste disposal



india has called for a strong protocol on liability and compensation to encourage countries to be more vigilant in the trans-boundary movement of hazardous wastes. Speaking on the Control of Trans-boundary Movements of Hazardous and other Wastes at the 5th Conference of Parties ( cop ) held in Basel recently, Union minister of environment and forests T R Balu stressed on the development of projects and financial strategies for setting up treatment facilities in the developing countries.

"Till date, there is no consensus on the criteria to be adopted to judge if a particular process or technology for disposal or recycling could be categorised as environmentally sound,' Balu said. "This will not be conducive to environmentally-sound management of wastes which is the primary objective of this convention,' he added. India had ratified the Basel Convention in 1992. The objective of the convention is to reduce trans-boundary movements of hazardous and other wastes and to dispose of them in an environmentally sound manner.