Bhubaneswar, March 31: In what belies the claims of Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB), of monitoring disposal of industrial waste, Forest and Environment Minister Bikram Keshari Arukh Wednesday said 23 million tonne of hazardous waste is lying undisposed in the State.
Arukh, in reply to a question by Jharsuguda MLA Naba Kishore Das said that of the total 43 million tone waste generated in 2014-15, only 20 million tonne has been reused or disposed of. Fly ash constitutes half of the total waste.
“The unused waste has been stored in industrial units by taking necessary environmental precautions. Since mostly fly ash waste is generated from the industries compared to other waste, we have made provisions for the use of fly ash. The OSPCB has opened a Fly Ash Resource Centre,” the minister said.
He said there is no provision for disposal of other industrial waste. “We have asked industries to dispose of other wastes too,” he said.
