The Hyderabad Integrated Municipal Solid Waste Limited (HIMSW), the organization overseeing waste-to-energy (WtE) plants in Jawahar Nagar and Dundigal, has firmly refuted recent accusations of causing environmental pollution. The company described these allegations as “factually incorrect, technically flawed, and deliberately intended to mislead the public.”
In a detailed statement, HIMSW pointed to a report from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), which concluded that the ash generated from their WtE operations is non-hazardous. This directly contradicts a recent joint statement by several social, political, and environmental organizations, along with residents’ associations. These groups had claimed that fly ash, containing cadmium and chromium levels exceeding World Health Organization (WHO) permissible limits, was being openly dumped without proper precautions.
HIMSW clarified that the very CPCB report cited by the activist groups actually gave the company a clean bill of health, confirming its adherence to environmental standards. Furthermore, the Telangana State Pollution Control Board conducts annual monitoring of all WtE facilities, meticulously checking waste processing, efficiency, emissions, and ash management, all in accordance with CPCB guidelines.
Addressing the specific WHO standards mentioned, HIMSW highlighted that the WHO does not prescribe disposal standards for WtE fly ash or bottom ash. The values referenced in the joint statement, the company argued, relate to target values for soil quality, which are not applicable to the operation of waste-to-energy facilities.
The company reassured the public that its WtE plants employ advanced flue gas cleaning systems to capture fly ash. These systems treat flue gases with lime to neutralize acidic gases and use baghouse filters to collect particulate matter. The captured fly ash is then safely deposited in secure, lined landfills, fully complying with all prescribed standards. Similarly, bottom ash from both plants is managed scientifically through sanitary landfilling at their respective sites.
HIMSW concluded by asserting that voluntary third-party analyses of bottom ash, fly ash, and stack emissions consistently confirm their compliance with all established environmental limits.