Jayanthi Natarajan Misled About Alang Beach Pollution

Note: Ship-breaking activity on Alang beach is violating rule in the rule book with impunity but Jayanthi Natarajan, the new Minister of State for Environment and Forests has chosen to give a mechanical reply ignoring facts on the ground. If all the Rules are being complied with how did 27 workers die this year alone. Sooner or later Natarajan will have to realize that there cannot be compliance with Rules on a beach. Both CPCB guidelines and Basel Convention Guidelines on ship dismantling corroborate the same. Natarajan must reject IMO's Convention on Ship Recycling/Breaking and ratify the Ban Amendment to the Basel Convention. It seems Jayanthi Natarajan has been misled by her officials about the state of affairs on the Alang beach.

Gopal Krishna
ToxicsWatch Alliance(TWA)

Effect on Environment due to Polluting Chemicals

In order to check pollution of environment, the ship-breaking units are required to obtain authorization from the respective State Pollution Control Boards under the Hazardous Wastes (Management, Handling & Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2008.

Ship-breaking activity is also required to comply with the rules and regulations notified by the respective State Maritime Boards.

Further, the directions of the Supreme Court based on the recommendations of the High Powered Committee on Hazardous Waste Management in the matter of Writ Petition (Civil) No.657 of 1995, are to be complied with while undertaking ship-breaking activities.

The respective State Pollution Control Boards monitor implementation of the conditions of authorization issued by them as well as the directions of Supreme Court and take necessary action against the defaulting units.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Environment and Forests (independent charge) Shrimati Jayanthi Natarajan in a written reply to a question by Shrimati J. Shantha in Lok Sabha 5th September-2011.