NEW DELHI: In view of rising pollution in the city, over a hundred civil society organisations, waste collectors, residents and individuals urged the government to scrap a proposal to burn 100% of Delhi waste under Waste to Energy (WTE) initiatives.
They demanded to bring WTE incinerator projects under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) as it is contributing to air pollution. For now, WTE projects are exempt from GRAP. Every day, Delhi burns about 7,250 tonnes of unsegregated municipal solid waste in the city’s four WTE incinerators. These incinerators produce pollutants that have been overlooked in GRAP measures to control pollution.
In their statement, they demanded conducting a comprehensive study on the impacts of WTE incineration on Delhi’s air quality and human health and making them publicly available.
Meanwhile, a study done by India’s premier environmental research institute, CSIR-NEERI, that was submitted to the National Green Tribunal, has warned against WTE technology and its negative health impacts on the community and the environment. It has also been pointed out that about one in every three children has lung-related issues.
Further, another study, undertaken by IIT-M, has also pointed out that the burning of plastic waste was the main cause behind reduced visibility in Delhi. Further, the burning of plastic waste also emits highly toxic chemicals called ‘dioxins’, which can accumulate in the food chain causing severe problems with reproduction and the immune system. Despite these facts, the government planned to increase the burning capacity of incinerators.
“Plans are afoot to burn an additional 6,000 tonnes of mixed garbage/day by 2027 and Delhi alone will burn about 13,300 tonnes of garbage per day by 2027. Apart from this, there are also plans to build new WTE incinerators in the NCR region,” mentioned the statement of organisations.
It also said most incinerators are loss-making enterprises due to the low calorific value as it is not able to generate enough energy.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoked the GRAP’s Stage-II across Delhi-NCR on October 21 after the AQI plummeted to Very Poor category.