Aafrin Kidwai 
Picture for representational purposes only
Delhi’s three landfills at Bhalswa, Okhla and Ghazipur have collectively caused nearly Rs 450 crore in damage to the environment, as calculated by a committee comprising National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Central Pollution Control Board and IIT, Delhi.
The panel was tasked by the National Green Tribunal to ascertain the environmental damage caused by these waste dumps and based their calculations on factors such as legacy waste and leachate generated over the years. They determined the damage cost at Bhalswa to be Rs 155.9 crore, at Okhla Rs 151.1 crore, and at Ghazipur, Rs 142.5 crore.
The report said that the deterioration of air and water quality in a 5-km radius of the landfill cannot be attributed through empirical data directly to the dumpsite activities, so the interim damage cost was assessed on the basis of legacy waste and leachate to determine the environment compensation needed to be levied for violation of Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.
Picture Credit: Photo by Mumtahina Tanni from Pexels
