The Hindu : New Delhi News : Toxic waste being dumped on Wazirpur streets

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 03, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Toxic waste being dumped on Wazirpur streets

Anjali Dhal Samanta

Effluent treatment plant not working for over a fortnight, overflowing sludge posing threat to residents

NEW DELHI: In what appears to be a clear violation of the Supreme Court order on hazardous waste disposal, industrial effluent and sludge is being dumped on to streets in the Wazirpur Industrial Area. With the Common Effluent Treatment Plant of the area not working for over a fortnight now, the waste has found its way into open sites and roads.

According to a report submitted by the Dilli Suraksha Samiti to the Supreme Court Monitoring Committee -- set up to oversee the implementation of the order -- the CETP has not been functional since May 12. Thus, the industrial effluent generated in the area is not being treated at the CETP and is instead being directly dumped on the streets. Not just this, effluent that was already stored in the now non-functional CETP is being dumped in the surrounding area without treatment.

A site inspection by the Samiti on May 23 revealed that for almost a week before the visit, CETP operators had been pumping the sludge and effluent out of the aeration tank of the plant through a temporary pipeline into the open area adjacent to the CEPT plant.

"The situation is shocking. The slum dwellers living around the CETP told us that all the big pits and depressions in the area had been filled up with effluent and sludge. Even pits near the railway tracks had been filled up similarly. The situation is so bad that locals have to walk through the places where the effluent and sludge is dumped. We even saw workers handling the sludge with bare hands. Children were playing with the sludge and even washing their feet and hands with the effluent. The waste is a cocktail of chemicals, acid and heavy metals that can have serious health repercussions," said Madhumita Dutta of The Other Media.

According to the report, solid waste is being dumped in many places. Several dumps of sludge, steel polishing gadgets, oil stained cloths and other industrial wastes have been recorded. In block `A' of the Industrial Area, sludge was dumped along the drains, roadsides and even in front of some of the industrial units.

Even worse, the drains in the area are mostly open, and according to the report, contain yellowish brown effluent. Since most of the drains are choked, the effluent overflows from the drains on the streets.

The team has even pointed out that in some areas, there was open burning of industrial waste. Once brunt, the waste is again thrown into `burnt waste dumps'.

These dumps usually contain `fibrous materials' mixed with oil and grease along with dry sludge, states the report.

Under pressure to get the CEPTs working, government agencies are busy trying to pass the buck.

While officials at the Delhi State Industrial Development Corporation claim that the CEPT has been shut because of repairs and low PH level of the effluent generated in the

area, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee is busy calling in for second bank guarantees from all water polluting units in the area.

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