NEW DELHI: To overcome public resistance against solid waste management facilities and minimize impact of such facilities and landfill sites on environment, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has now published guidelines to maintain buffer zones including green belt around such areas.
The guidelines said that ideally a distance of 500 meter from the boundary of the Solid Waste Processing and Disposal Facility (sanitary landfill) should be maintained.
“However, on case to case basis a distance of minimum 200 meter from the Solid Waste Processing and Disposal Facility (sanitary landfill) can be considered subject to the condition that such facility meets the stipulated standards prescribed by State Pollution Control Board with respect to ambient air as well as for stack emissions,” the guidelines said.
It also recommended a minimum of 10 metres green belt within and all around the facility along the boundary which will not only act as visual barriers but will also reduce noise levels.
The document said that such a distance has been recommended keeping in view high population density in urban areas, scarcity of land to set up such facilities and protest from local inhabitants in the area of processing facility.
It also said that the provisions suggested are in line with those being adopted at international level.
Stating that their main objective is to ensure adequate separation distance between a solid waste management facility and its surrounding area, the guidelines said they aim to minimize the risk of adverse impacts on the environment (land, air, water, noise pollution) and the impacts on the Public Health.
The guidelines also stressed that their aim is to prevent encroachment of controlled areas, develop public acceptance for solid waste treatment and disposal infrastructure and encourage new technological innovations for processing facilities with minimal land requirement.
For developing green belts, the guidelines suggested plant species like Babul, Shishum, Australian Babul, Neem, Jamun and Karanji.