Residents
and birds of Okhla facing public health crisis
New
Delhi: After 16 hearings in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and 28 hearings
in Delhi High Court, the matter of Dioxins emitting municipal waste incinerator
of Timarpur-Okhla Waste Management Co Pvt Ltd (TOWMCL) of M/s Jindal Urban
Infrastructure Limited (JUIL), a company of M/s Jindal Saw Group Limited owned by
Prithviraj Jindal is listed for disposal on 12 November, 2014. It was listed for final disposal on 13th
October, 2014 and 14th October, 2014 but Justice Swatanter Kumar, Chairperson
led bench postponed its hearing.
One of the main reasons for anxiety
among residents and environmental groups is high dioxin levels around the
plant. When CPCB monitored air quality there last October, dioxin level in
stack 1 was 1.06ng TEQ/Nm3 (toxicity equivalent) and that in stack 2 was 0.93ng
TEQ/Nm3 though safe level is 0.1ng TEQ/Nm3 only. The residents have observed
that the plant is currently running at night.
Environmental
groups and residents have been demanding its stoppage and closure since March
2005. Admittedly, the waste to energy incinerator plant in Sukhdev Vihar, Okhla
has violated all the rules in the rule book with impunity. It is a classic case
of environmental lawlessness in the heart of the national capital. The plant is
operating without environmental clearance for its unapproved Chinese
technology. The construction of the plant happened admittedly because of a fake
public hearing.
It
is noteworthy that there is a case pending in the National Human Rights
Commission (NHRC) in this regard. The compliant pointed out that some 100
doctors wrote letters to the Prime Minister forewarning him of public health
crisis in the Okhla residential areas and seeking protection from the war
chemicals and other hazardous chemicals being emitted from the municipal waste
incinerator plant located amidst Sukhdev Vihar, Hazi colony and other colonies.
Prior to this Delhi High Court and Parliamentary Standing Committee on Urban
Development has ruled against such hazardous incinerator/combustion
technologies. Such plants pose a grave threat to health and environment
of the residential areas of Narela-Bawana and Ghazipur as well.
Earlier,
the Report of the Parliamentary Committee on Urban Development which has
recommended that "Incinerator plants should be stopped in all residential
areas in all metropolitan & Big cities across the country" in its
latest report to the Parliament.
The
report reads: "The Committee note that the Municipal Solid Waste is
delivered by NDMC and MCD at the Okhla Power Plant site. Although it is claimed
that "only non Hazardous Municipal Solid Waste will be treated at the
facility", the fact is that Delhi's mixed municipal solid waste has characteristics
of hazardous waste. MCD, Delhi government and Central Government have shown
sheer callousness towards hazardous emissions from municipal incinerators that
cause serious environmental and health problems to the people living not only
near them but thousands of kilometers away from the source. The Committee feel
anguished and dissatisfied with the reply of the Ministry that the soot in the
atmosphere is reported to be within norms as it is monitored by Delhi Pollution
Control Board. Therefore, the Committee recommend that these kinds of Waste
Incinerator Plants should be stopped in all residential areas in all
metropolitan & Big cities across the country." It endorses the
position of environmental groups and residents of Okhla.
The
report states, "The Committee find that there are three major Sanitary
Land Fill (SLF) sites in Delhi (Ghazipur, Okhla and Bhalaswa- Jahangirpuri,)
which have turned into huge mountains of garbage and far exceeded their life
span."
The
fact is Okhla is not and has not been a landfill. There is some deep mischief
at work in declaring it as landfill in papers.
The
report states, "During the hearing held on 15th May, 2007 in the matter
relating to the stay on Govt. subsidies for projects on recovery of energy from
municipal solid waste, Hon'ble Supreme Court has permitted the Ministry of New
and Renewable Energy to go ahead with setting up of 5 waste-to-energy projects
to study the viability of such projects. Hon'ble Supreme Court also directed
that no projects for waste-to-energy be taken up till 5 pilot projects are
completed. As per the aforesaid direction, the Ministry of New and Renewable
Energy formulated "Programme on Energy Recovery from Municipal Solid Waste
for Setting-up of 5 Pilot Projects". The programme provides central
financial assistance @ 2.00 crore per megawatt limited to Rs. 10.00 crore per
project for 5 pilot set up by State Nodal Agencies, Urban Local Bodies/
Municipal Corporations or entrepreneurs. So far 5 projects have
been approved in the cities Bengaluru, Hyderabad, New Delhi and
Pune..."
It
mentions one of these five projects as M/s Timarpur Okhla Waste Management Pvt.
Ltd., (TOWMCL), Jindal ITF Centre, 28 Shivaji Marg, New Delhi (Promoted by
Jindal Urban Infrastructure Ltd. The location is mentioned as Old NDMC Compost
plant, New Okhla tank, New Delhi.
The
reference to this Okhla based plant as one of the 5 projects is deceptively
worded to give the impression that it is one of those 5 projects which was
approved by the Supreme Court. The RTI reply has already revealed that it was
not one of those 5 projects.
Notably,
more than 80 doctors from Holy Family Hospital in Okhla and some other
hospitals across the city have written open letters to the Prime Minister's
Office raising concerns about emissions from the Okhla waste-to-energy plant.
In their letters, written on individual letterheads, doctors have said
polluting emissions from the plant could lead to allergies, asthma, cancers and
reproductive anomalies. Many of these doctors also live close to the
waste-to-energy plant. Central Pollution Control Board checks at the plant site
have revealed dioxin emissions to be way higher than the permissible limit.
Residents are extremely concerned about fly ash from the plant falling on their
homes and vehicles. Delhi Pollution Control Committee issued a show cause
notice to the plant in January for not meeting the air quality standard.
"An
unusually large number of patients are coming in with respiratory ailments like
asthma and bronchitis which can be attributable to the high levels of pollution
in Okhla caused by the plant. The Holy Family Hospital has announced plans to
launch a medical college. We would like it to function in an unpolluted
environment," said Fr P A George, director of the hospital.
Neonatologist
with Fortis La Femme Ashu Sawhney, who lives just behind the plant, said,
"Based on my experience as a paediatrician as well as various studies, I
can say such pollutants cannot just cause respiratory illnesses but also
learning and behavioural problems. My daughter developed asthma last
year".
Another
paediatrician from AIIMS Shivani Randev said, "Most children from the area
are suffering from respiratory illnesses. These pollutants can cause foetal
anomalies, infertility, cancer and other health issues. This is a humble
request from residents, especially doctors, from the area to please help us and
shut down the plant."
The
social cost of this technology as a large number of ragpickers stand to lose
their jobs if waste-to-energy plants are widely adopted for waste management.
Though they are common in the West, there is a raging debate even there about
the suitability of waste-to-energy plants. In Delhi, the issue is even more
relevant because there is no waste segregation at source which is why chances
of non-biodegradable waste like plastics ending up in the incinerator is high.
In a significant development Dr. A.N. Vaidya, Senior Principal Scientist and
Head of Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Division at NEERI informed that the
joint report of Council for Scientific and
Industrial Research (CSIR) - National
Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) which was prepared for the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC)
on waste to energy projects in Delhi, reveals that combustion technology based waste to
energy plants in Delhi "are posing threat to environment" and public health. He said, “it was based on NDMC request” in conversation with
ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA).
For
Details: Gopal Krishna, ToxicsWatch
Alliance (TWA), Mb: 09818089660, 08227816731, E-mail:gopalkrishna1715@gmail.com, Web: www.toxicswatch.org,
Twitter: @krishna1715
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