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According to statistics released by the Kolkata-based Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S), India is fast becoming the world’s favourite dumping ground for toxic mercury waste. Citing data released by the DGCI&S, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) says that India registered a six-fold increase in mercury imports over seven years. Data from the directorate shows that mercury imports to India more than doubled, from 254 tonnes to 531 tonnes, between 1996 and 2002. Global mercury use, meanwhile, went down from 5,356 tonnes in 1990 to 2,700 tonnes in 2000.
India is now the second largest user of mercury in the world (170-190 tonnes a year) after the US (372 tonnes). Total imports of mercury and mercury compounds have jumped to 1,858 tonnes.
According to J S Chopra, president, Neurological Society of India, mercury can cause severe damage to the central nervous system, lungs and kidneys. He emphasised the need for a nationwide study on the effects of mercury pollution.
A collation of sporadic studies shows it is the coastal areas that are at maximum risk. In Mumbai, Kolkata, Kochi, Karwar, Chennai and the north Koel river in Bihar, high levels of mercury have been found in fish.
Europe has decided to phase out all its chlor-alkali (caustic soda) plants, and has 13,000 tonnes of mercury that it intends to discard. In seven years, it has sold 3,000 tonnes to India. Other regular exporters are Spain, the UK, Russia, Italy and the US.
“While the world is dumping mercury on us, we have neither bothered to regulate its trade and use, nor inventoried its stocks in the country,” says the Delhi-based CSE.
According to available data studied by the CSE, only about 0.2% of the mercury used in the country is regulated. That means that 99% remains completely unregulated. There is no information on how almost 90% of the imported mercury is used in India.
Mercury pollution is caused by things we use everyday -- mercury cells, pesticides, electrical fittings, thermometers, dental amalgam and paint. Consumption of these items is increasing rapidly.
The ministry of environment and forests has issued a draft notification for the phasing out of mercury from consumer products. But no action has so far been taken. In fact, the 2003 union budget granted tax exemptions on the import of membrane cell components to mercury cell plants.
This should be a wake-up call for industry to clean up its act before the country faces a disaster like Japan’s Minamata tragedy where thousands lost their lives and were maimed by mercury poisoning.
Source: http://infochangeindia.org
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