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Time of India
04-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
CAQM directs NCR agencies to eliminate landfill fires, enforce zero-tolerance for MSW burning
New Delhi: The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas ( CAQM ) has issued comprehensive directions under Section 12 of the CAQM Act, 2021, to control fire incidents at sanitary landfill (SLF) sites and prevent the open burning of municipal solid waste (MSW) and biomass across Delhi-NCR . Through Direction No. 91, CAQM has mandated all concerned agencies to implement targeted actions in two broad categories—management of legacy waste at SLFs/dumpsites and prevention of fresh MSW/biomass burning—to reduce emissions of particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) and harmful pollutants including NO₂, SO₂, CO, dioxins, and furans. For fire prevention at legacy waste sites, CAQM has directed identification, categorization, demarcation and risk assessment of SLFs and dumpsites. Extensive bio-mining and bio-remediation activities must be conducted to liquidate legacy waste within the timeframes submitted to the Supreme Court. The governments of NCT Delhi and other NCR states are required to review their time-bound action plans. Mandatory measures include installation of CCTV cameras, fencing of SLFs, deployment of methane gas detectors to identify areas with high gas concentrations, and regular monitoring of windrow temperatures using infrared thermometers. Deviations from the 35°C to 59°C range must be recorded. Patrolling during night hours, mock fire drills, quarterly fire safety audits, and maintenance of adequate firefighting infrastructure including water tankers, earthmovers, and chemical extinguishing materials have also been mandated. Agencies must provide safety gear and conduct training for workers at SLFs and dumpsites. For the management of freshly generated MSW, the Commission has asked agencies to ensure proper collection, segregation, transport, and processing of waste as per the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. Surveillance must be intensified at vulnerable sites, especially during night hours and the winter season. The Commission has directed zero tolerance towards open waste burning at all stages including collection, transit, and intermediate storage. Regular patrolling by enforcement teams, improved processing of horticultural waste by urban local bodies, and intensified waste collection during autumn have been prescribed. Public awareness efforts are to be conducted via RWAs, industry and shopkeepers' associations. Capacity-building programmes for sanitation staff are to be institutionalized. CAQM stated that these directives are in addition to existing orders from the courts, MoEF&CC, and CPCB. All statutory bodies dealing with waste management must comply with the Commission's directions. State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) have been directed to submit a consolidated quarterly statewide report to the Commission on efforts taken to control SLF fires and prevent open burning of MSW and biomass. The Commission warned that non-compliance would attract penal action under Clause 14 of the CAQM Act, 2021.
Hindustan Times
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Supreme Court slams Gurugram civic body over Bandhwari fires
The Supreme Court on Friday expressed serious concern over the repeated fires at Gurugram's Bandhwari landfill and directed the city's municipal body to file a timeline for clearing 900,000 metric tonnes of legacy waste piled at the site. A bench headed by justice Abhay S Oka, hearing the broader issue of air pollution in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), ordered the commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) to submit an affidavit specifying the outer limit for removing the legacy waste. Directing that a response in the matter be filed by May 15, the bench, which also comprised justice Ujjal Bhuyan, asked the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to consider issuing preventive orders under Section 12 of the CAQM Act. Section 12 deals with the powers and functions of CAQM and empowers the commission to take measures and issue directions and entertain complaints, as it deems necessary or expedient, for the purpose of protecting and improving air quality in the NCR. 'It will be appropriate if CAQM issues directions dealing with the issue, particularly with regard to the preventive measures,' the order said. The fire at the Bandhwari landfill, which raged for four days earlier this month, was brought to the court's attention by senior advocate Aparajita Singh, who is assisting the court as amicus curiae in the pollution matter. In a note submitted to the court, Singh stated that a blanket of toxic fumes had engulfed nearby areas and that flames continued to be spotted at various locations on the landfill even after the fire was declared doused. Terming the situation 'shocking', the bench sought a detailed response from MCG. Singh's note stated that the landfill receives 1,800 tonnes of waste daily from Gurugram and Faridabad, with 1.3 million metric tonnes of waste currently accumulated at the site, of which 900,000 tonnes is legacy waste. She said that two fires had already been reported at the landfill in April 2025 alone, significantly degrading air quality for nearby residents. She further pointed out that two private companies contracted to manage waste clearance had been penalised following the recent fires, but enforcement remains weak. The incidents, Singh said, underscore larger failures in the implementation of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, currently under consideration by the top court. She added that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had also passed multiple orders regarding the Bandhwari site. In April 2024, a series of fires prompted the NGT to take suo motu cognisance of the issue. Investigations then revealed that nine fires had occurred at the site in that year alone. Citing the public's right to clean air, Singh urged the court to direct CAQM to file a compliance report on steps taken by the Gurugram civic body in line with the NGT's orders and the 2022 Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) guidelines. She also requested that the municipal commissioner be ordered to explain the repeated outbreaks of fire and the reasons for failing to prevent them. The case will next be heard after May 15, by when the Gurugram civic body must file its response.
