NGT: Delhi waste storage facilities must comply with SWM Rules

The National Green Tribunal has said that Delhi’s waste storage facilities or ‘Dhalaos’, need to be compliant with Solid Waste Management Rules. The order was passed while directing a committee to hold a meeting on the issue within a month.

The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by Delhi resident Anubhav against the non-removal of garbage from a location in Karol Bagh. The petition stated that the garbage pit where the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) used to collect the garbage is situated in the middle of the residential area and it is causing acute respiratory health problems to the residents of the area.

The tribunal noted that though the site in question is claimed to have been now cleaned, there is no accountability on the matter. “We find that as per Rule 15 of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, the requirements of storage facility for the solid waste are specified. The Dhalao system currently in use in Delhi needs to be compliant with the said Rules,” the bench said, reports news agency PTI.