The Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA), a research and advocacy organisationworking on public finance, accountability and policy issues, has raised concerns, in areport, over the pollution potential of Waste-to-Energy (WTE) incineration plants.
The report assumes significance for Coimbatore, where a 1,200-tonne-per-day (TPD) WTEplant has been proposed as part of the city’s waste management plans.
According to the report, WTE incinerators recorded a Pollution Index (PI) score of 100 outof 100 when assessed using the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) methodology.The assessment considered pollution from air emissions, water contamination andhazardous waste.
The report flagged pollutants including dioxins, furans, heavy metals, acid gases andparticulate matter, besides the generation of hazardous fly ash and bottom ash.
It also questioned the CPCB’s 2025 decision to move WTE plants from the ‘Red’ category tothe ‘Blue’ category. The CFA said the reclassification could reduce regulatory oversightdespite the generation of hazardous waste.
The organisation has called for WTE plants to be restored to the ‘Red’ category, mandatoryindependent emissions monitoring and stricter enforcement of pollution-control norms.It has also recommended greater focus on source segregation, decentralised compostingand biomethanation.
