Open and shut case: Dumping of waste biggest threat to air

NEW DELHI: Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has written to Delhi government to pay special attention to construction & demolition (C&D) waste and garbage being dumped in the open, which have emerged as major concerns during recent inspections in most areas of the city. CPCB also said that while certain tasks to curb air pollution had been carried out, there were a number of shortcomings.

"For reviewing the scenario on the ground, teams were deployed on the field from September 15 to 21. It was observed that open dumping of C&D waste and garbage were major concerns in most areas and special efforts were needed to curb them," CPCB's letter dated October 6 mentioned.
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Last year, CPCB and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) had both identified 13 pollution hotspots based on the average PM2.5 and PM10 levels recorded through the year. These included Rohini, Dwarka, Okhla Phase-II, Punjabi Bagh, Anand Vihar, Vivek Vihar, Wazirpur, Jahangirpuri, RK Puram, Bawana, Mundka, Narela and Mayapuri.
Among the pollution hotspots, C&D waste was found dumped in the open at RK Puram, Vivek Vihar, Ashok Vihar, Jahangirpur, Punjabi Bagh, Mundka, Anand Vihar, Narela, Dwarka, Mayapuri and Rohini. CPCB also flagged areas like Katwaria Sarai, Mayur Vihar Phase-III, Janakpuri, Geeta Colony, Jhilmil and Gandhi Nagar for the same offence.
Unpaved roads were identified at RK Puram, Vivek Vihar, Ashok Vihar, Jahangirpuri, Punjabi Bagh, Mundka, Anand Vihar and Narela among the pollution hotspots, while GT Karnal Road, Bijwasan Road, Najafgarh Road, Rohtak Road, Mangolpuri, Shahdara flyover and Anand Parbat Industrial Area were stretches where dust was being raised through vehicle movement.
Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority (EPCA), which carried out separate checks at all 13 pollution hotspots, found problems specific to each location. For instance, pollution at Punjabi Bagh was found coming from the crematorium and traffic congestion, while the problem was noticed at Narela and Bawana because of plastic and rubber dumped in the open, along with general waste.
EPCA member Sunita Narain said garbage dumped in the open could be set on fire, which would create pollution. C&D waste, which contributes to dust and PM10 pollution, also existed at each hotspot. At some locations, waste was dumped again at the same site after being cleared by DPCC and other agencies.
"We have asked DPCC to deal with garbage and C&D waste specifically. A plan also needs to be drawn to protect vacant land, which often ends up becoming an ideal spot for dumping of garbage, rubber, plastic or C&D waste. This should help control the problem considerably," said Narain.
Recently, EPCA observed improvements at Narela and Bawana, but it also identified five "high-polluting" locations in the vicinity of the existing pollution hotspots. These included Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar, Peeragarhi, Rohtak Road, Azadpur and Sarai Rohilla.