DELHI:EROS TIMES: Environment Minister, Imran Hussain on Monday convened a meeting of the Commissioners and other senior officers of the three Municipal Corporations of Delhi along with the senior officers of Environment Department, Delhi Fire Services and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to review the preparedness of the Municipal Corporations in handling the incidents of fire at the Sanitary Land Fill (SLF) sites at Bhalaswa, Ghazipur and Okhla, in the wake of recent fire incidents at Bhalaswa.
The Commissioners of three Municipal Corporations did not attend the meeting.
At the outset, the Minister expressed serious concern at the fire breaking out at Bhalaswa, since Delhi is already bracing itself with the adverse impact of stubble burning in the neighboring States which is likely to aggravate air quality of Delhi in the coming days.
Hussain emphasized that in such a situation all the stakeholders Departments/Agencies in Delhi must ensure that local factors do not adversely impact the air quality of Delhi.
The minister enquirer about the action taken by the North MCD in extinguishing the fire which broke out at Bhalaswa landfill site last night. Officers concerned informed that the fire was put out by taking expeditious action.
Officers of the East MCD informed that so far as management of Ghazipur site is concerned, they have prohibited the entry of rag-pickers including children into the site. There is posting of adequate staff for round the clock watch and ward of the site for preventing any unauthorized entry.
In addition, the site is being monitored with CCTV s. Officers further informed that a dedicated fire tender along with necessary police cooperation is also available to meet with any untoward incident. In addition, the East MCD is also managing slope stabilization for averting sliding of the garbage from the top levels.
The Minister noted with concern that similar arrangements are lacking in the other two landfill sites at Bhalaswa and Okhla. He asked the North and South MCDs to make necessary arrangements for fencing the sites, preventing entry of rag-pickers including children inside the sites, provision of high mask lights within 15 days, posting of adequate staff for round the clock supervision of the sites.
All the Municipal Corporations were also directed to regularly maintain logbooks for recording the incidents of breaking out of fire and action taken thereon.
The Officers of the three Municipal Corporations also informed that the three sites are primarily not scientifically designed and all of them have exceeded their prescribed garbage storage capacities. They are in the process of developing new sanitary landfill sites and waste to energy plants for better disposal and processing of waste.
The Minister directed officers of Delhi Fire Services to depute one Fire Tender exclusively for putting out the incidents of fire in Bhalaswa Sanitary Landfill Site.
DPCC was asked to coordinate the efforts for preventing fire incidents with all the three Municipal Corporations.
The Minister also asked for speedy development of scientifically engineered landfill sites and also for installation of waste to energy plants by the concerned Municipal Corporations so that the ever increasing garbage quantum is properly disposed/processed/managed.