Hazardous Waste Management
 Policy Advice and Technical Assistance
SDPI provides policy advice and technical assistance regarding disposal, transportation and imports of hazardous substances or wastes to public and private sectors from time to time. Persistent organic pollutants, more commonly known as POPs are chemical compounds or mixture that include industrial chemicals, pesticides and some industrial wastes. These are called "persistent" because these do not degrade in the environment by physical, chemical or biological processes. Out of many POPs twelve are regarded as most dangerous to human health and environment and are called the "Dirty Dozen." Out of these twelve compounds eight are pesticides: DDT, aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, chlordane, heptachlor, mirex and toxaphene, two industrial chemicals PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls) and HCB (hexachlorobenzene) and two industrial waste products dioxins and furans.
POPs are harmful to stomach, intestines, liver and kidneys and can effect nervous system and cause reproductive and development defects. Some POPs are known animal carcinogens and possible human carcinogens causing cancers and tumors. Women, children and infants are especially vulnerable to certain effects of POPs.
SDPI's POPS Elimination Initiatives
SDPI has raised awareness on this issue via interventions given below during 2004-05:
- At the second session of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) preparatory committee, the SDPI representative welcomed and endorsed the decision by the 65 member countries, including Pakistan to adopt SAICM. The statement delivered by SDPI highlighted the need to especially protect children from the impacts of chemicals. SDPI recommended that funding for implementation in developing countries and countries with economies in transition be one of the priority elements of SAICM.
- The joint SDPI and ARNIKA, (an NGO based in the Czech Republic) fact sheet on Alternative Non-Combustion Technologies for Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Disposal was published and distributed among delegates and participating organizations of IPEN. In the IPEN General Assembly meeting, the SDPI representative was requested to chair and conduct one of the panel sessions in which three UN agencies involved with POPs/Chemicals made presentations.
- SDPI organized a one-day workshop, in collaboration with Toxics Link, India on POPs. The workshop was geared towards arousing awareness and interest in the general public, especially among the civil society organizations, providing them opportunities for direct contact/interaction, networking and enhancing their capacity to take up the issue of POPs. It was a part of the International POPs Elimination Project (IPEP) being implemented globally by the International POPs Elimination Network, (IPEN). IPEP primarily aims at encouraging and enabling CBOs in eight regions of the world, including South Asia, to engage in activities within their countries that will provide concrete and immediate contributions to country efforts in preparing for implementation of the global treaty on POPs – the Stockholm Convention.
- An awareness-raising workshop was also organized for women councilors during the Global week of Action against POPs. This advocacy activity was supported by IPEN South Asia. Elected local government representatives need to raise awareness among the communities against POPs and legislate locally, if required. The workshop recommended banning open dump burning, use of DDT and household pesticides, control on leakage of electricity transformers, consideration of alternative technology along with incineration for waste disposal and ratification of Stockholm convention on POPs by the government. Elected women representatives from various union councils of Rawalpindi participated in the workshop and posed important questions about how local governments can play their role to eliminate POPs.
Other Projects
Studies on Dioxin Emission from Incinerators and the Resulting Health Impacts
In collaboration with the International Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Elimination Network (IPEN) and ARNIKA, a Czech NGO, SDPI has undertaken, as one of the participating organizations in a global project, to study the most hazardous POP chemicals, dioxin levels released from incineration of wastes. Studies have included measuring dioxin levels in the ash from incinerators and bio-monitoring of chicken egg samples in and around incinerators in Peshawar, Lahore and Karachi.
Under the ARNIKA - SDPI collaboration program, Dr. Jindrich Petrlik, Chairperson ARNIKA visited hospital waste incinerator sites in Peshawar, Lahore and Islamabad. A municipal and hospital waste dumpsite in Peshawar was also visited. A seminar at Environmental Sciences department, University of Peshawar, panel discussion at SDPI and a press conference at Islamabad Press club were also held. A number of meetings on incineration alternatives, Stockholm Convention and NIP activities with NGO representatives and officials of NWFP-EPA, Pak-EPA and NIP staff were also held at Peshawar and Islamabad.
During the year, field visits were also undertaken for eggs sampling at waste disposal dumpsite in Charsadda for dioxin/furan analyses to be carried out at a research laboratory in the Czech Republic. Contamination of Chicken Eggs near the dump site on the edge of Peshawar, Pakistan by Dioxins, PCBs and Hexachlorobenzene was a joint report published by SDPI-ARNIKA.
Ash sampling from brick-kiln and hospital waste incinerators at Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar for dioxins/furan analyses are also in the process of being carried out in collaboration with the same research laboratory.
Environmental and Health Impacts of DDT in NWFP
Inception meetings for this study were held in which members of the project team participated. The project was thoroughly discussed and related project phase two activities, including literature review, collecting of available information, environmental sampling and analyses plan, meetings with stakeholders, site visits and surveys were planned and scheduled. A one-page questionnaire to collect relevant data about the factory from the ex-employer/employees of the factory was developed.
Following these meetings, a survey of a DDT factory in Nowshera was conducted. Identification of sampling sites and points for collection of environmental samples (soil and water) for DDT analyses was carried out at Peshawar University.
SDPI’s untiring pursuit of this issue has finally lead the DCO, Nowshera and Tehsil Muncipal Officer, Amman Gargh to issue Show Cause Notices to the proprietor of the (demolished) DDT factory, not to convert the said premises into a residential scheme/society till the cleaning of the said land on scientific lines from DDT, in order to avoid human casualties as well as environmental pollution.
SDPI was invited to participate in the first meeting (Aug.24, 2007) of the newly constituted District Environmental Protection Committee Nowshera. SDPI reiterated the recommendations of the various reports published by the Institute in May 2006 and Jan. 2007, including installing Danger - Prohibited Area signboards at the site as soon as possible. The reports included:
SDPI’s recommendation was accepted and the Institute provided text for the sign boards to be placed at the site.
Please contact Dr.Mahmood A Khwaja (khwaja@sdpi.org) for more details.
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