Anti-toxin fight in dumps, officials seek new landfill

New Delhi: Under fire for frequent incidents of garbage burning at Ghazipur landfill site, officials of East Delhi Municipal Corporation have sought allotment of a new dumping ground as the existing one has outlived its utility. Officials said that the prime reason for the waste catching fire is release of methane gas posing a serious threat to the air quality in the capital.
The garbage accumulated at the Ghazipur landfill site has reached a maximum height of 45 metres, which is 15m more than what is recommended by the municipal solid waste manual on waste management. The manual recommends that the height should range between 5 and 30 metres.
"Ghazipur landfill site attainted maturity long ago. It is being overloaded with fresh garbage as we do not have any other place to dump it," said a senior official from East Corporation.
Senior officials claim that despite several requests to Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to provide land for a new landfill site no action has been taken yet. "We have requested DDA to allot land for a new dumping ground. It is the only way out," an official said.
However, DDA officials blamed paucity of land in east Delhi for the delay. "As there is no land available for a new landfill site in east Delhi, we are trying to acquire it in other areas. As soon as we find a plot we will allot it to East Corporation," said a DDA official.
A plant for extraction of methane gas is already being run by GAIL at Ghazipur. The company is also disposing garbage with the help of a waste-to-energy plant. However, senior officials claim this is not going to solve the problem. "The installation of plants is only going to minimise waste burning to a certain extent. A new garbage dumping ground is the only long term solution," said a senior official.
The field staff at Ghazipur have been instructed by East Corporation to use construction and demolition waste to douse fires and inform the fire department immediately. "We have asked our personnel to keep track of fires on a regular basis," added an official.