Taking a serious note of the Art of Living’s programme at the Yamuna riverbed, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee has directed the group to videograph its World Cultural Festival on a daily basis and ensure waste from toilets and kitchens is collected and transported in closed containers to sewage treatment plants.
The organisers have also been directed to ensure that no waste is littered and disposed of in the river and on its banks.
The pollution control panel has issued strict guidelines to make the organisers provide daily reports pertaining to solid waste management, sewage management, source of water, extraction of ground water from bore-well and ambient air quality.
As per guidelines, waste water from toilets and kitchens has to be collected and transported in closed containers to the sewage treatment plants, as per permission granted by the Delhi Jal Board, for treatment. The panel has strictly ordered the organisers to ensure waste water, either from the toilets or kitchen or any other source, is not disposed of into the Yamuna, either directly or indirectly. The organisers have been told to ensure an adequate number of toilets so as to maintain hygienic conditions. The DPCC also directed the Art of Living to ensure that no enzymes are released in the river or other water bodies.
A team comprising of officers representing Union ministry of environment and forests, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi Pollution Control Committee, Delhi Jal Board, Delhi Development Authority, the Delhi government’s environment department and other senior Delhi government officers, which inspected the site to check the preparations for the World Cultural Festival being organised by spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has issued these strict guidelines. The DPCC on its own does not have any such guidelines to deal with such cultural events.
On the issue of disposal of solid waste, the guidelines say that adequate number of litter bins should be provided and they should be periodically cleaned and the collected garbage should be transported in closed containers to the designated sites and this should be executed with due permission of the respective municipal corporations.
“The event manager/authority should ensure that no waste is littered and should not be disposed of in river and on its bank. Further, it should also be ensured that after the event, the entire area should be cleaned and freed from waste,” the guidelines said.
The extraction of ground water from the bore-well should be done in accordance with the permission granted by the concerned authority and a proper log book should be maintained, according to the guidelines. The logbook has to be submitted to the DJB and the Central Ground Water Authority to know the quality and quantity of water extracted. The organisers would also have to maintain the records of water tankers.
The DPCC also directed the DDA to ensure that after the event the entire area is cordoned off /fenced and no encroachment should be permitted. “Besides, it would be responsibility of the DDA to take steps to green the area with appropriate vegetation and area should be developed as a biodiversity park having forest, water bodies and nature trails.”
On the ambient air quality, the guidelines told the organisers that for controlling dust from unpaved roads and pathways, water sprinkling should be done, but flooding or inundation must be avoided. Diesel for the electricity generation should be used and stored properly and not spilled. The diesel generator sets at the site should comply with the standards as prescribed as per noise notifications, the rules added.
