Basel Convention

Basel Convention

Subject :Environment

• The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal was adopted on 22 March 1989 by the Conference of Plenipotentiaries in Basel, Switzerland.
• Basel Convention’s thrust at the time of its adoption was to combat the “toxic trade”.
• The Convention entered into force in 1992.
• India is a signatory to the Basel Convention

Objective–

• To protect human health and the environment against the adverse effects of hazardous wastes.
• Its scope of application covers a wide range of wastes defined as “hazardous wastes” based on their origin and/or composition and their characteristics, as well as two types of wastes defined as “other wastes” – household waste and incinerator ash.

Aims and provisions-

• reduction of hazardous waste generation and the promotion of environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes, wherever the place of disposal;
• restriction of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes except where it is perceived to be in accordance with the principles of environmentally sound management;
• and regulatory system applying to cases where trans-boundary movements are permissible.

Under the Basel Convention, illegal traffic is defined as a transboundary movement of hazardous wastes: 

• without notification pursuant to the provisions of the Convention to all States concerned;
• without the consent of a State concerned;
• through consent obtained by falsification, misrepresentation or fraud;
• that does not conform in a material way with the documents; or
• that results in deliberate disposal (eg. dumping) of hazardous wastes in contravention of the Convention and of general principles of international law.