NEW DELHI: Illegal dumping of garbage on roadsides and in vacant plots constitutes the highest number of complaints received through the Green Delhi app --- to report pollution-related complaints --- since it was launched in November last year, as per the final draft report prepared by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).
The solid waste thus dumped is eventually put to fire during the winter, adding to the pollution load of the city. As per the report, 43.6% complaints received on the app have been those of open dumping of garbage.
A total of 23,312 complaints were received on the app between November 2020 and July this year, out of which 22,098 (94.79 %) stand resolved, the report stated.
While the South Delhi district (23.8%) registered the highest number of complaints, Shahdara reported the lowest number of complaints (3.9%). The other revenue districts reported complaints --- northwest (11.7%); New Delhi (10.4%); southwest (9.7%); northeast (8.8%); north (8.3%); west (7.6%); central (5.9%), east (5.4%) and southeast Delhi (4.5%), as per the report.
The report highlighted that there are more than 10,000 complaints registered in the category of illegal dumping.
“Majority of the dumping is by the sides of roads. Industrial areas are witnessing more dumping than residential areas,” it said.
Also, according to DPCC officials, these spaces are mostly located in residential areas such as R K Puram, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Venkateshwara Marg, among others. The report also said construction work is heavily contributing to road dust.
“There are more than 300 complaints registered in southeast and southwest Delhi. Construction work going on at the sides of the roads are left open without grass cover,” it said.
Spike in farm fires as monsoon recedes
NEW DELHI: Punjab and Haryana have recorded a significant increase in farm fires after the withdrawal of the monsoon from north India, though the situation so far is better than last year, data from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) suggests.
Between September 15 and October 10, Punjab has recorded 764 incidents of crop residue burning in 2021 compared to 2,586 in the corresponding period last year.
Haryana has recorded 196 farm fires so far against 353 logged during the period last year. IARI data shows the number of farm fires remained considerably low till October 6, when the southwest monsoon started withdrawing from northwest India.
Vinay Sehgal, a scientist at IARI, said the number of farm fires remained low due to the delayed paddy harvesting on account of extended monsoon season.
“Even the farmers who harvested their produce could not burn the straw because it was wet,” the scientist said further.
