About 22.46 hectare of land will soon be put to use as the sanitary landfill site in North Delhi’s Phase V Industrial area of Rohini. The Union urban development ministry has recently changed the use of the industrial land to utility land for solid waste management facilities in the area. This will be the fourth landfill site in the national capital. The total land earmarked for the landfill site has been divided into three sites — one measuring 2.42 hectare, another 13.45 hectare and third one of 6.59 hectare.
The first site, which is to be used for solid waste management facility, research development and recycling of waste, has a slaughterhouse in its south and a 40-meter-wide green belt on its western side. The second site earmarked for solid waste management and for engineered sanitary landfill compost plant has proposed a 30-meter-wide road in its south and a bus depot in the west.
The third site will be utilised for solid waste management. Delhi generates over 8,500 tonnes of garbage produced in Delhi per day, only 1,251 tonnes (17.44 per cent) is collected efficiently from Rohini and Civil Lines Zones.
Now, concerns are being raised in different quarters over the allocation of the new landfill site in the industrial area. The mammoth ticking garbage bombs of Ghazipur, Okhla and Bhalswa landfills are reportedly spewing toxic gases by the minute into Delhi’s already-foul air as the national capital does not have an efficient waste management system.
An IIT-Kanpur report on Delhi’s air quality showed 7 per cent to 9 per cent of the capital’s particulate matter pollution is because of burning municipal solid waste. Burning waste also leads to an increased presence of chlorides in the air, which weakens the immune system, irritates lungs and causes respiratory disorders.
The 10,000 tonnes of waste dumped in the landfills every day — much beyond their capacity — contain waste of all kinds — leaves, paper, metal, cloth and glass — because it is not segregated. There are no notified municipal waste rules that stress on the process either.
There is a general view that at least 50 per cent of the waste generated in the city can be turned into compost and 30 per cent can be recycled. Only 20 per cent should reach the landfills.
The Municipal Solid Waste rules, yet to be notified, make segregation of waste at the source mandatory.
This is how countries over the world manage their waste. Kitchen waste is separated from paper and plastic. Glass and metals are also segregated. It is the responsibility of the citizen to segregate waste at home itself. Once paper, plastics and glass are separated a small component remains which goes to landfill sites.
The CAG said that three of the four sanitary landfill sites — Bhalswa, Ghazipur and Okhla — have exceeded their life span.
They overflow with garbage. According to officials, the fourth site, Narela, too does not have an effective waste management plant, although “plans” are still being made and “consultations are being sought” for a world-class waste management site.
