With consistent toxic emissions from spontaneous fires at the Capital’s unathorised landfill sites in Bhalswa, Okhla and Ghazipur, lakhs of Delhiites are sitting on a ticking time bomb, finds out ANANYA BORGOHAIN
The Capital’s municipal solid waste (MSW) is disposed of at three landfills — Bhalswa in the north, Okhla in south and Ghazipur in the east. According to the Department of Environment, Delhi, a total 8,360 metric tonnes MSW is generated in Delhi every day, and these landfills have surpassed their containment limit for garbage a long time ago. A rise in temperature builds methane gas in these dump sites and since methane is highly inflammable, frequent fires at landfills don’t come as a surprise.
A raging fire broke out at the Bhalswa landfill last month. There was a colossal blaze at the Ghazipur landfill site too. It produces 2,800 metric tonnes of MSW daily. Ironically, this came at a time when the odd-even vehicle rule was being implemented in the Capital in a bid to control air pollution. While the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) suspected the BJP of causing the fire to disrupt its odd-even formula, an inquiry committee set up by Gopal Rai, Transport and Rural Development Minister of Delhi and an AAP leader, and headed by Special Secretary Environment and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) secretary, Kulanand Joshi, concluded that there was no conspiracy behind the fires and that they were caused by reckless management of methane at the sites.
While the AAP and BJP may continue to bicker, the fact is that high levels of carcinogens are said to be emitted daily through the smoke that rises from such fires.
A letter by the DPCC in February stated that the fires at the landfill were in violation of the Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986. “The burning of MSW is a serious cause of air pollution,” it said. The letter further stated that the NDMC would be charged Rs5,000 per day in accordance with the directions of the National Green Tribunal on burning of waste.
In response to this, the civic body said the Bhalswa site was not designed as a landfill in the first place and it was a dumping ground that had become a landfill. The NDMC’s letter said that the civic body resumed using the site since it had a dearth of land. It was not allotted land, dishonouring the Supreme Court’s orders in 2000, according to which, the DDA and the Delhi Government should have furnished civic bodies with land to set up authorised landfills.
The DPCC categorically specifies that the three landfills were originally supposed to be only dumping grounds. The DPCC letter further stated: “All three landfill sites are not designed as per the MSW Rules that came into effect in 2000. The DPCC has not granted authorisation to all three landfill sites. Municipal bodies have informed that they have no other option but to use these sites for disposal of MSW as land is not available in Delhi. They said that a request has been made to DDA to allot land for landfill sites”.
Reportedly, the Bhalswa landfill exceeded its limit in 2006, 10 years ago, but is still in use. With the summer temperature in Delhi almost touching 50 degrees Celsius, Bhalswa has been rightly compared to a time bomb. Its decomposed trash and unbearable stench are a major health hazard for lakhs of people in the area. In fact, innumerable people living near the Bhalswa site already suffer from respiratory illnesses — from asthma to tuberculosis.
Sumesh Yadav, a ragpicker from the area, said: “This fire is very common and occurs every year. No authoritative body has been able to manage this crisis whatsoever. In many instances, our settlements in the slums have caught fire too. I too have problems in breathing and my eyes are constantly watering, but where do people like me go from hereIJ I still make my living off the landfill site.”
Khursheed, another local resident, said: “This year is unlike any other. Huge flames out of mountains of waste first make life insufferable there and later horrendous smoke billows out of it.”
Anubhav Pradhan, a resident of Jahangirpuri, which is two kilometres from Bhalswa, said: “last Monday, probably because of the dip in temperature, there was no fire. But by Wednesday, it was up in flames again.”
One way out could be building methane capturing facilities in the city. Governments, both in the State and at the Centre, need to initiate arrangements to design such amenities. An extension of the same would be the conception of a waste-to-energy plant. There are three waste-to-energy plants in Delhi at the moment: Timarpur-Okhla, Ghazipur, Narela, of which Narela is under installation. The plants at Timarpur-Okhla and Ghazipur reportedly use 1,300 tonnes of MSW each to produce 16 MW and 12 MW of electricity respectively.
If only the turmoil could be eliminated with that. Residents of the areas around the sites complain of major health side-effects owing to air and noise pollution.
last Sunday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal proclaimed that if the AAP was voted to power in the MCD Elections in 2017, it will transform the Bhalswa landfill site into a playground.
Though Kejriwal blames both the Congress and BJP for turning a blind eye to this problem, there’s vague hope of his odd-even format working (or AAP winning the 2017 MCD Elections) if the city’s garbage continues to go up in flames.
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