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Politics of waste being sidestepped at WTO: experts

While developed countries harp on trade and environmental linkages, they continue transferring potentially hazardous waste to the developing word, warn international consumer bodies.

In a study of the threats posed by trade in domestically prohibited goods, hazardous wastes and dirty technologies to the developing world, activists have warned against overlooking this aspect at the WTO ministerial meet at Doha.

India-based CUT Centre for International Trade, Economics and Environment and Nepal-based South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment say there has been no progress on domestically prohibited goods despite two decades of debate.

According to the study, Asian countries like India and China are favourite destinations for waste exporters.

In India only five undertakings are permitted to import special waste for recycling.

But a report by Greenpeace shows 151 undertakings from 49 countries have been shipping special and toxic waste to India since July 1996.

Till 1999, more than 100,887 tonnes of hazardous and potentially hazardous wastes entered India despite a ban imposed by the Supreme Court on the import of hazardous wastes.

Exported from countries like Germany, the US, Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, Britain and Norway, the wastes range from zinc ash residues to lead waste and scrap, used batteries, waste and scrap of metals like cadmium, chromium, cobalt, antimony, hafnium and thallium.

Ironically, some of these wastes are illegal under the laws of the European Union nations and Australia, which have banned export of hazardous wastes to non-OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries.

Every year more than 90 billion pounds worth of banned, severely restricted and un-registered pesticides are exported from the US alone, the study adds.

"These 'dirty' products are sent to lesser known corners of the world where jobs are scarce and ill-effects of pollution from these products are not known," says Pradeep Mehta of the Jaipur-based CUTS-CITEE.

Another contentious issue is the shifting of dirty industries like ship breaking, colour and dyes manufacturing units, leather, paper and pharmaceuticals from the developed to the developing countries.

This trend of shifting dirty industries raises serious concerns, says the author of the Greenpeace report Sandeep Singh, "as they are perceived as critical in the infrastructure and industrial base for helping the economy to take-off."

While commenting on the silence of the developed countries, the activist bodies express doubts whether the developing countries saddled with poor implementation of laws will show any interest in taking up this issue at Doha.

Indo-Asian News Service

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