Disposal of toxic waste at DRDO
NAGPUR: On Wednesday Union minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh hinted that the toxic waste lying in the Union Carbide factory at Bhopal would be destroyed at a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratory at Nagpur.
However, a spokesperson of the lab said they would only take up the job only if they get an approval from the ministry of defence.
The spokesperson said, “So far, it is only a proposal from the ministry of environment and forests (MOEF) and nothing more. Also, Nagpur has not been decided as the venues for the incineration. The question of time and place will only arise after the assignment is actually accepted by DRDO.”
The chemical waste has been lying at the Union Carbide premises at Bhopal since the last 26 years, after the gas leak disaster, and needs to be disposed off.
“There was a proposal from MOEF, with Jairam Ramesh himself approaching DRDO. We certainly have the expertise to handle toxic material, but nothing is fixed yet,” said the director (public interface) of DRDO.
“The DRDO will certainly take up the assignment once it gets a go-ahead from the ministry of defence to which it reports. It is only after that the question of time, place and methodology to dispose of the waste material will be considered,” said the official. “Nagpur is no where in the picture as of now,” he added.
DRDO has a presence in the city but accords top secret status to its establishments here. There are some establishments away from the city at an undisclosed location, but the general public is not allowed access. DRDO has had a set-up here since over a decade, but details about its responsibilities are still a closely guarded secret.
According to the sources the task of disposing of the waste is expected to be a challenging affair for the DRDO, especially since it has remained in the factory premises for 26 years. “It is a dangerous chemical and there are chances that some new reactions might have taken place during these two decades. So, any agency taking up the task of its safe disposal will have to conduct a thorough investigation first,” said the official.
