http://www.waste-management-world.com/index/from-the-wires/wire-news-disp
lay/1629589431.html
Ramky plant comes under scanner again; Incineration facility causing
diseases among families residing in Tarapur
Vivek Trivedi
DNA
March 23, 2012
Dissent from locals against Ramky Enviro Engineering Pvt Ltd has once
again put the plant under scanner. The utility had faced considerable
opposition after a portion of Union Carbide waste was incinerated in
Pithampur in 2010. Villagers in Tarapur during a visit of volunteers from
NGO Lok Maitri complained their crops were getting damaged due to
incineration of waste. The findings are a study carried out by 15
students of Kothari College of Social Studies. They surveyed 88 families
residing in Tarapur. The report has claimed the incineration facility is
causing diseases like stomach ailments and skin problems among villagers
and potable water is also getting contaminated. Gautam Kothari from Lok
Maitri said, “We are planning to send the report to both state and
central governments.” MPPCB regional office Dhar Hemant Sharma said the
charges are true as the incinerator is not running. “The incineration has
just taken place from November 21 to February 13 and it was discontinued
as no directive was witnessed from the CPCB,” said Sharma. He said around
four tonnes of Union Carbide waste was destroyed by the plant in the
past, and pollutions levels were found to be okay during incineration
trials. In the past too the unit has invited wrath of both MP Pollution
Control Board (MPPCB) and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)
regarding the unit s failure to abide by rules. At that time reports of
ground water samples collected by MPPCB Bhopal suggested that all bore
wells situated inside the plant and open testing well registered an
alarming growth in quantities of total solids, total dissolved solids,
hardness of water, chlorine, alkalinity, sodium and potassium within a
period of one year. The trend also continued in the subsequent sample
testing reports. The analysis report released by the MPPCB on December
31, 2011 also indicated higher presence of suspended particulate matter
(SPM) more than the permissible limit. The SPM quantity was found to be
67.91, 159.16 and 176.45 g/cubic metre against the permissible limit of
100 g/cubic metre. General manager, Ramky Enviro Engineers Amit Chaudhary
did not comment on the issue. He confirmed trial runs of the incinerator
had stopped.