Hazardous Waste Management in India

Disasters occur due to both the natural and man-made activities. Hazards and Disasters are categorized into four groups, viz., Natural events, Technological events, Man-made events and Region-wise events. The adverse impacts caused due to the indiscriminate disposal of Hazardous Wastes (HWs) come under the category of Environmental Disasters. Hazardous Waste Management (HWM) is a very important issue and is assuming significance globally. There is no proper secured landfill facility available in India to dispose of Hazardous Waste (HW) till 1997. Very few industries in India, mostly in large scale and a few in medium scale, own proper treatment and disposal facilities. A common waste treatment and disposal facility such as Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facility (TSDF) for management of HWs generated from industries, is one of the useful options under such conditions. Few Guidelines issued by Ministry of Environment and Forests under Hazardous Wastes (Management & Handling) Rules, 1989 promulgated under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 are available in India for selection of best site for TSDF. The planning for HWM comprises of several aspects ranging from identification and quantification of HW to development and monitoring of TSDF. This paper focuses on the basic steps involved in the Comprehensive HWM. The physical models developed by the authors for ranking of TSDF sites based on the Guidelines available are discussed. The current status in India pertaining to generation of HW and the TSDF sites is also addressed.