Helpline to check waste burning needs help
Over the past two weeks, concerned citizens have consistently tried to lodge complaints with the Delhi Pollution Control Committee ( DPCC) against open burning of leaves and garbage but only a fraction have been able to get through.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has announced a fine of ` 5,000 on anyone found burning leaves and garbage in the open. The DPCC had notified the tribunal that it has a Whats App helpline that people can use to lodge a complaint.
People who tried to complain with photographic proof to the committee said their messages had not been delivered.
“I saw a heap of leaves being burnt on the Mandir Marg last week and sent the location as well as the photo to the DPCC Whats App number but it was not even delivered. I see a similar scene all across central Delhi every day. There is no deterrence,” said Prashar Kumar, a resident of Defence Colony.
According to DPCC officials, however, the helpline is working very well.
“We have received 317 complaints in the past 15 days. People can only send messages on the helpline, they can’t call. As soon as we get a complaint, we send the information to one of the 11 Whats App groups dedicated to each district,” said Kulanand Joshi, member secretary, DPCC.
He acknowledged, however, that catching the culprits is not an easy job. “We receive complaints and action is taken. PCR vans and fire brigades are rushed to the spot but we rarely find the person who set fire to the garbage or leaves. One sanitation worker has been apprehended so far and he will be produced before the National Green Tribunal,” he said.
The tribunal had asked all municipal corporations in the city to set up helpline numbers of their own.
According to experts, however, just setting up helplines is not the solution.
“We need to look at localised solutions to disposing of wet waste and leaves. Transporting them to landfill sites is never going to work. Some colonies have dug up small composting pits in their neighbourhood. Defence Colony is one such example. The rag-pickers have been instructed to segregate wet waste and put it in the compost pit. The residents oversee the functioning of the system and it is working quite well,” said Chitra Mukherjee, manager, outreach, Chintan — an NGO that works in the field of environment.