DELHI AND IT’S GARBAGE

AN ADMINISTRATIVE MESS

SARASIJ MAJUMDER

INTRODUCTION:

Central government disclosed data before two-judge Supreme Court bench during hearing of PIL on rising pollution levels in NCR & nearby areas. Over 14,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste is generated in Delhi-NCR each day, Centre tells SC.

The above, and more such details related to waste management in Delhi and NCR are part of a central government affidavit filed in the Supreme Court.

There are 3 landfill sites namely Bhalswa, Ghazipur and Okhla. Bhalswa landfill site were commissioned in the year 1994, Ghazipur in 1984 and Okhla in 1996.

INSTRUCTION FROM JUDICIARY: 

Taking note of the affidavit, a bench led by Justice Abhay S. Oka termed the situation of solid waste management in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Alwar and Greater Noida, as “HORRIBLE”. The court was hearing an old public interest litigation (PIL) on rising pollution levels in the national capital and nearby areas.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs submitted an affidavit came for hearing at the top court on 22 April, and the Court  directed the ministry to convene a meeting to take stock of the implementation of the Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. 

In response the ministry said that the responsibility to ensure implementation of the rules lies with urban local bodies and urban development departments of the respective state governments. ARE YOU LISTENING, Mr. KEJRIWAL??

Pursuant to the top court’s order, the ministry held three meetings with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and municipal bodies of Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Alwar and Greater Noida.

On  perusal of the affidavit, the bench, also comprising Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, observed that non-treatment of such a huge amount of solid waste in Delhi is a violation of the fundamental right of citizens to live in a pollution-free environment. The bench pressed the need for immediate measures to ensure the quantity of untreated solid waste does not increase till proper facilities are put in place to treat it.  IT MAY BE POINTED  THAT WE PAY TAX FOR THIS SERVICE. Not for paying fees to Mr. Singhi—the Advocate.

The ministry’s affidavit revealed further that of the 8,627 metric tonnes (MT) of construction and demolition (C&D) waste generated in NCR each day, a little over 3,600 MT remains unprocessed.  More than 40%  not processed???  I suggest--this  activity can be reduced to acceptable limit, till processing  Capacity is enhanced.

WHAT AAP SAID:

AAP MP Swati Maliwal raised the issue of garbage collection in Delhi and said that she wants the Centre to answer if they have received any proposal from the MCD to clean the landfill sites. Reacting to Maliwal's question, Union Environment Minister in Modi  cabinet Bhupender Yadav said that it would be good if she asks this to the Delhi government.

MY OBSERVATION: Since the URBAN NAXAL  Kejriwal  & his team came to power in Delhi in 2015, centre-state tussle increased manifold. Previously Shiela Dikshit govt worked with NDA (Mr. Vajpayee) and UPA ( Dr. MMS)  govt. without much of a  conflict , and was  doing her job better. Mr. Kejriwal didn’t do anything regarding everything including garbage dump site problems, or towards it’s solution, since he became C.M.

Based on my experience, Mr. Kejriwal is the most callous C.M.

TECHNICAL DISCUSSION:

In Delhi alone, the daily waste generation in all the three jurisdictions — Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), New Delhi Municipal Council  (NDMC) and Delhi Cantonment Board  (DCB) — is about 11,350 TPD and the legacy waste is 280 LMT. But only 8,073 TPD is processed, while around 3,800 TPD of fresh waste is dumped at the two dumpsites, Ghazipur and Bhalswa.

According to the affidavit, new processing  facilities are to be set up at five more places in the next four years will increase the processing capacity of waste generation to 15,473 TPD. Plans are also in the pipeline for 100 percent remediation of legacy waste, but that too would be fully operational till December 2027.

Delhi generates around 6,000 TPD construction and demolition waste, of which 1,000 TPD remains untreated. Bids have been invited for earmarking seven acres of reclaimed land at a sanitary landfill in Okhla for a new plant so that the entire waste generated is processed.

As  an Engineer—I like to point out that the GARBAGE PRODUCTION also will increase,  and old processing  plants will suffer from loss of efficiency—and we may still be in the same condition in 2027!

While Gurugram sees a daily waste generation of 1,200 TPD, the current processing capacity is only 150 TPD. Work for management of municipal solid waste in the millennium city was allotted to a private firm, but due to a breach of contract on its part, Gurugram authorities have terminated the concession agreement with it. A fresh tender will be processed within the next six months to a new company and work is likely to be commissioned by January 2025 by it. A new plant to process the daily waste will be installed by December 2026, discloses the central government’s affidavit.

It also said daily generation of construction and demolition waste in Gurugram is 1,500 TPD, of which only 600 is processed. A proposal to have another plant of 1,000 TPD capacity is under approval of the Committee of Secretaries on Infrastructure and the same will be commissioned by August 2025. 

A very poor show by Haryana Government!

Similarly, in Faridabad the gap between the daily waste generated and disposed of , is more than 700 TPD. Authorities there have implemented short-term measures and a proper plant will be commissioned by December 2026 to meet the shortfall, it added.

In Faridabad, however, there is no facility to dispose of 300 TPD of construction waste. The authority should make a plan.

Each of the satellite towns has legacy waste of 33 LMT and in both 16.41 LMT has been remediated. The remaining quantity of 16.59 LMT is expected to be processed by December end, the affidavit said.

In Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad and Greater Noida, the estimated quantity of municipal solid waste generated is 1,950 TPD. While the processing capacity in Ghaziabad is more than the waste production, Noida’s shortfall is 218 TPD. The total legacy waste assessed in Ghaziabad is 2.69 LMT, of which 1.46 LMT has been remediated, whereas in greater Noida it is 3.69 MLT. As for the C&D waste, Ghaziabad is for now well equipped to match the daily generation of 325 TPD, but “…Greater Noida still lacks the facility to dispose of 100-500 TDP ( something wrong?)produced every day”…, said the affidavit.

Action needed, Mr. YOGI!

The facility available to process daily municipal waste in Rajasthan’s Alwar can treat 134 of the 180 TPD municipal waste, but at present the plant is unable to treat additional capacity of 129 TPD and will become fully operational by September 2024. Legacy waste in Alwar will be processed completely by August 2024. However, there is no plant to cater to the C&D waste generation in the city.

 All these are causing HEALTH HAZARD.

If you look at INDORE, it is so clean! NCR has to learn much!

Only 2 BJP leaders worked for reducing the height of Ghazipur garbage dump. Transport minister Nitin Gadkari said in September 2023 that NHAI/government used around 30 lakh tonnes of garbage for highway construction from the Ghazipur landfill site which led to the lowering of the height of the 'garbage mountain' by seven metres. The other BJP leader who worked on Ghazipur dump mountain problem is ex-cricketer and ex-east Delhi MP Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir worked on target oriented plan to flatten the garbage mountain.

AAP  was formed and operated  by andolan-jivi Urban Naxals, who  are the most useless politicians. During Sheila Dikshit era, Ghazipur garbage dump almost reached the height of Qutub Minar with no focus to solve the issue. Kejriwal only engaged in petty politics. On 1st September 2017, due to heavy rains, a part of Ghazipur garbage mountain of 50 tons came down and killed two motorists. Kejriwal did nothing to solve the problem except giving compensation to the victims and blamed the previous congress govt.

With top AAP leadership in jail, AAP is only doing ‘press conference’ politics for publicity. There is no govt in Delhi now,  (WAS IT BEFORE???) and there was no effective Government in Delhi since AAP came into ministry.  KEJRI seems to be an aberration for IIT brand value.

Garbage generation rate in DELHI NCR is less than 0.45 kg per head per day, and should be easily manageable. Worldwide, waste generated per person per day average is  0.74 kilogram. However, it can be further reduced.

I STRONGLY REQUEST NDA  GOVERNMENT TO SCRAP THIS SCAM RIDDEN AAP GOVERNMENT OF DELHI  AND RE-CONVERT DELHI  TO U.T., AND HAND OVER COMPLETE GARBAGE COLLECTION, MANAGEMENT, AND DISPOSAL SYSTEM IN A COMPETENT PRIVATE HAND, MAY BE TATA.

NOTE:-- I have collected information from base sources as well, but maintenance engineers wanted to remain ANONYMUS.

Reference:

1.0 http://www.cdjlawjournal.com/long.php?id=4378

2.0-https://zeenews.india.com/auto/20-lakh-tonne-garbage-used-to-make-uer-ii-ring-road-in-delhi-nitin-gadkari-at-convergence-india-expo-2023-2588731.html

3.0-https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/delhi/2022/Dec/22/ghazipur-landfill-height-reduced-by-18mts-sayseast-delhi-mp-gautam-gambhir-2530631.html

4.0-https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/two-killed-as-50-tonnes-of-waste-hurtles-down-ghazipur-landfill/articleshow/60332295.cms

Image :- IMAGE:--Kejriwal at Ghazipur garbage dump site.

Picture source: Google / Respective rightful owner is acknowledged.