Open Letter Against Waste Incineration Plant to Delhi Chief Minister

Open Letter to the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Delhi

We the residents of Sukhdev Vihar are seriously perturbed with the initiatives of the Government of NCT of Delhi and its agencies in the name of ‘development’ in our area, and for the sake of rest of Delhi.

Our area, which has a dense population, has been treated and identified has a dumping ground for the hazardous projects such as common biomedical plant (already functioning), and now the government is hell-bent on setting up monstrous municipal solid waste based “waste-to-energy” incineration project, which is being marketed by your concerned ministries as the "eco-friendly and renewable" project.

As per the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), all municipal waste combustors (i.e. incinerators), regardless of technologies, release a number of pollutants, including cadmium, lead, mercury, dioxin, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen chloride, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter. Dioxin and mercury are of particular concern because they are toxic, persist in the environment, and bioaccumulate.

The Delhi Government’s decision of setting up the said project is ill conceived, and blatantly ignores the present demography of the surrounding areas of the proposed site. How can the government allow construction of such a hazardous project amidst residential colonies while ignoring the current geography of the area? This plant will emit large quantities of hazardous and toxic emissions (such as dioxins and furans) due to burning of mixed Municipal Solid Waste, and will profoundly affect the health of the people living in the surrounding areas and environment for all times to come in future. This is in violation of the fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution of India and Articles 47, 48A and 51-A (g) of the Constitution.

The proposed project is located amidst dozens of densely pullulated residential colonies like Sukhdev Vihar, Noor Nagar, Masih Garh, Haji Colony, Gaffar Manzil, Johri Farm and parts of Jamia University etc. The nearest human settlement is just 100 meters from the proposed site. Besides this, the site is in proximity of hospitals like Holy Family, Fortis-Escorts and Apollo. While the government is strictly pushing all the industries outside the city limits, this WTE Project is being allowed in the residential area, and projected as an environmentally sustainable option which is nothing but fraud on the residents of these colonies. This is going to spoil the quality of life and living, the quality of the air for breathing, the quality of under-ground water and bring disaster to lives of all the residents of the affected colonies.

Respected Madam, we the residents are clearly the “victims” of improper, unjustified planning reflecting no concern towards the health of the residents. We failed to understand this kind of “planning”, which disregards all the scientific evidence before it and goes ahead with the implementation of this project even when the matter is sub judice before the High Court of Delhi.

We, therefore, request you to kindly stop the construction immediately so as to avoid Bhopal Gas disaster in the surrounding area, and not to implement the proposed harmful and hazardous project in violation of all environmental considerations, which is agitating the minds of residents living around the site. In case any mishappening in the surrounding area due to this project, the present government will be responsible.

Yours sincerely

Aggrieved residents of Sukhdev Vihar, Noor Nagar, Masih Garh, Haji Colony, Gaffar Manzil, Johri Farm and parts of Jamia University and others

For Details: P K Nayyar, Mb: 9212111404, K K Rohtagi: 9810134860

Gopal Krishna, Mb: 9818089660