Does the DPCC know the toxic effects of waste management facility?
22 Mar, 2013An application was filed with the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking to know the harmful effects of landfill sites and waste-to-energy plants on human health and environment and the steps taken to combat such effects.
The applicant also wanted to know about the agencies that were involved in taking waste to the overflowing landfill sites, where dumping has been banned. The application pertained to the concerns raised by the residents of Okhla about the toxic waste released by incinerating waste to generate electricity. DPCC, which is the licensing and monitoring authority for waste management facilities in the capital, has said in its reply to the application that it doesn’t have any knowledge about the harmful effects of waste incinerators and landfill sites on health and environment.
The reply also states that the committee has information on the remedial measures adopted to counter the ill effects of the overflowing landfill sites and the waste incinerators. DPCC also expressed its ignorance about the agencies responsible for dumping waste in the banned landfill sites. However, it also stated that two more waste incinerating plants are to be established in Delhi – one at Ghazipur and another at Bawana.