India News | Environment committee Asks MCDs to Submit Plans to Reduce Height of Landfill Sites to Ground Level

New Delhi, Dec 9 (PTI) The environment committee of the Delhi Legislative Assembly on Wednesday asked East and North municipal commissioners to submit plans and timelines by next week to reduce the height of landfill sites to ground level.

Chairperson of the committee and AAP MLA Atishi "pulled up" the two municipal corporations for having "no plan whatsoever" to deal with landfill site fires and the resulting air pollution in Delhi, the committee said in a statement.

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The commissioners appeared before the committee which is addressing the issue of fire incidents at Delhi's Ghazipur (East Delhi) and Bhalsawa (North Delhi) landfill sites. 

Atishi inquired about the height of the garbage dumps, the rate at which they are growing, the number and frequency of fires that have taken place on the sites in the last six months, and an estimate of emission of methane and other harmful gases per day, during the meeting. 

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“At this rate, it will take you 25 years to tackle just the Ghazipur landfill. You said the garbage dumps are self-combustible. Give timelines and plans to confirm when you can reduce the height of the existing landfill sites to zero,” she said after not getting a satisfactory answer. 

"The Environment Committee then asked the MCD Commissioners to submit plans and timelines on Monday to bring landfills to ground level," the statement said.

The commissioners have been asked to report on the action taken against the engineers on duty, under whom the fires occurred, in the last five years, it said. 

"It was also decided that the principal secretary Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) should submit a report on the punitive actions that can be taken against the Commissioners if the default is repeated," the statement said. 

According to the Environment Committee, the frequent fires at the Ghazipur and Bhalswa landfills have seriously affected the progress of the Delhi government in improving the air quality of the city. 

Atishi also asked the commissioners about the plan, resources deployed, and the timeline for taking waste segregation to all wards.

She inquired about the expenses made in the last five years on waste management, the bidding process and the name of the agencies involved.

The municipal corporations have also been asked to keep ample fire extinguishing resources ready in case any fire starts at the landfill dumps. 

The committee decided to include the South Delhi Municipal Corporation also in its meeting along with officials of the DDA and the Urban Development department.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)