Dumped waste is a worse health hazard than many of us realise. Not only does it release easily flammable, toxic gases such as methane, its burning can also lead to worse air pollution than lighting firecrackers.
And this is why the Ghazipur landfill is a danger far worse than government officials realise. The recent fire at the landfill has increased pollution levels tenfold in Anand Vihar and surrounding areas.
Last Sunday, air pollution in East Delhi was recorded at 1,150 microgram per cubic metre; last year around Diwali, the same was recorded at 1,131 microgram per cubic metre, owing to firecrackers. The negligible difference is for all to see.
Officials also blamed the release of toxic gases from rotting waste. “Air pollution from dumped waste may be just 4 per cent to 5 per cent, but chemical reactions lead to the production of methane, increasing the possibility of the waste catching fire. The smoke is a worse pollutant than firecrackers,” officials said.
According to Delhi Pollution Control Committee, or DPCC, these toxic gases can drastically reduce the quality of life for people living nearby.
The only solution is to shift the dumpyard elsewhere. But do the authorities have an alternative site?
No.
Neither EDMC, nor Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) has any viable option in mind. When asked what EPCA’s plans are, Sunita Narain, a green activist and EPCA member, said, “It has now become a political issue and we do not want to fan it. But EPCA had suggested way back in 2002 that this indiscriminate dumping of waste at the Ghazipur landfill should be stopped.”
