Delhi: Is burning Bhalaswa a Ghazipur in the making? Resident complaints get lost in blame game

Delhi seems to be drowning in its own waste, with all three major landfill sites operating way after their shelf life. Two people were killed on Friday after a portion of the Ghazipur landfill  in East Delhi caved in and several others are still trapped. The height of the garbage heaped at the Ghazipur landfill site is barely 20 metres short of Qutub Minar, the world’s largest brick minaret. Although commissioned in 1984 and having long outlived its utility, the landfill continues to take in over 2,200 MTD (metric tonnes daily) of garbage from East Delhi Municipal Corporation areas. The height of the dump reaches 50 metres above ground level. [caption id=“attachment_4001203” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Ghazipur landfill site. PTI[/caption] The situation at the other two garbage dumps of Delhi is no better. The Okhla landfill was commissioned in 1996 and gets 1,200 MT of waste per day. Its height is even greater than the Ghazipur landfill. Okhla dump stands at 55 metres above ground level. The third is the Bhalaswa landfill under the North Delhi Municipal Corporation. It was commissioned in 1994 and gets 1,850 MT of solid waste per day. The height reaches 45 metres above the ground. They have all exceeded their height stipulation by 15-20 metres and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee had declared them inoperable. However, the civic bodies argue that they have “no other option” but to use these sites and they are being “continued at the risk of human life”, according to PTI. The judiciary, including the Delhi High Court, has rapped the civic bodies repeatedly over the situation, but the corporations cite unavailability of land and blame the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for not providing land. All these three landfills reached their shelf life around 2006 but are still used to dump garbage by Delhi’s municipal corporations. The Bhalaswa garbage dump has been on fire for days now and as The Hindu reported, the Delhi Fire Services pressed two tenders into action but maintained that it was a usual landfill fire. The smoke emanating from such fires is poisonous because the waste degenerates into methane after a while, which is one of the most potent greenhouse gases. It seems like a Ghazipur in the making. With little fires and height almost reaching the Ghazipur landfill, it should be the top most area of concern for the municipal corporations. It still serves about 50 percent of Delhi’s population and people living near the Bhalaswa landfill decry government apathy as they battle with serious health concerns. Pushpa, member of Lok Shakti Manch organisation in Bhalaswa, told Firstpost that they had approached everyone from the lowest rungs to the chief minister to turn their attention towards the dire living conditions of the people living close to the landfill. She said BJP’s Vijay Bhagwat, who won the MCD polls from Swami Sharda Nand Colony, which is near the Bhalaswa colony, visited the colony and said, “I don’t ever want to come again to this gandi basti (dirty village).”

Bhalaswa, which is a resettlement colony adjacent to the landfill, has its own set of problems which none of the authorities are ready to pay heed to.

The landfill site, as Pushpa said, is built on a low lying area and hence there is no outlet for dirty water. It turns into a major health hazard for the thousands living in just 12-and-half square metre houses in the colony. The numerous fires just adds to their woes. It gets difficult for them to breathe because of the poisonous smoke. The groundwater is so polluted that people in Bhalaswa are getting sick with each passing day. “Resettlement means shifting people to a place with all facilities. But we were dumped in a place where there is nothing,” Pushpa added. While the AAP claims to have repeatedly brought up the matter with the municipal corporations, it has failed it respond to Firstpost’s complaint or even acknowledge the grievances of the people living in Bhalaswa. Pushpa and others from the colony tried to contact the chief minister to seek his help but they are yet to hear from him.

Firstpost tried contacting various authorities to flag this issue as well but so far, we have only been stuck in a bureaucratic circle.

The North MCD has not yet responded to our complaint and when contacted, Firstpost was asked to call again within shift timings (9.30 am to 5.30 pm). The call was made at 5.10 pm. Firstpost also tried to raise the issue with Surender Singh Khrub, who won the MCD elections from Bhalaswa, but he is yet to respond to the complaint. When the grievance was sent to the chief minister’s office, it was forwarded to the state health ministry and then to the principal secretary. The secretary did not bother to respond and when his office was called, after much hesitation, Firstpost was asked to contact the additional secretary or the CMO again. BJP, which is facing flak for the Ghazipur landfill cave in, conceded that the landfill needs to be shifted to a different location. Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari said, “No doubt it’s serious concern, talked to L-G about shifting landfill. Also asked compensation for those who died.” Tiwari has, however also been evading questions on who should take responsibility for the Ghazipur incident. While the people living near the Bhalaswa landfill fight for basic facilities and their right to life, their complaints and grievances get muffled in the political blame game. With inputs from PTI