Mumbai: Locals burn garbage next to gas pipeline alarms residents, no complaint heard

As garbage burning is becoming a growing menace across western suburbs, a resident of the Dahisar area registered a complaint regarding people burning garbage in an open garbage box, next to a metropolis gas pipeline and an electric box, outside Sukarwadi bus depot on Sunday.
A Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) vehicle was also parked next to the burning garbage but no action was taken.

Pankaj Trivedi, a resident of Dahisar said, “The local people of the area dump garbage outside the bus depot which remains there for a longer time causing the spread of germs and diseases especially in this time of a pandemic. As a responsible citizen, I have called the BMC regarding this issue several times but they just come and clean it on a temporary basis, no permanent action is taken. Moreover, today the garbage was set on fire and right next to this garbage spot there is a metropolis gas pipeline and an electric box. The BMC garbage vehicle and BMC staff were also present at the scene but nobody stopped the public from burning the garbage next to such explosive objects. This could have seriously led to a major disaster. I also called the disaster control, but they just registered my complaint and gave me a complaint number.”

“I think that the government should stop using open garbage boxes in Mumbai and should not allow people to dump garbage anywhere and should make sure that they do not set it on fire which can invite additional disasters. We must together keep our city clean,” added Trivedi.

Despite repeated attempts to contact Vaqar Javeed, assistant municipal commissioner of R central ward, could not be contacted regarding this issue.

According to the BMC’s Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, the burning of garbage or waste is prohibited on landfill sites, public spaces and other areas. In December 2016, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered a nationwide ban on the open burning of garbage with a penalty of up to Rs 25,000, citing it as a major source of air pollution. However, the ground reality is a different picture.

Along with organic biomass from households and agriculture, roadside garbage dumps contain a high volume of plastic. Burning plastic is particularly hazardous, releasing harmful chemicals like carbon monoxide, formaldehyde and arsenic which not only lead to respiratory disorders but also cancer, liver and immunity disorders, according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Localized air pollution sources kill people even though they may not increase the overall AQI level of a larger area to ‘severe’ levels due to weather patterns. Burning plastic is especially toxic and can cause respiratory disease, cancer, liver failure and other diseases. The ICMR Report contains shocking data about premature air pollution-related deaths in Maharashtra, at 1,39,118 people comprising 16.7% of overall deaths. Maharashtra, at 1.4 lakh, has the second-highest air-pollution related deaths in India.

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