2 weeks Ago By Aditi Shekar
Pune: The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board has recommended a slew of measures for the Pune Cantonment Board to implement at the Hadapsar garbage depot, to ensure optimal segregation, bio-mining and preventing burning incidents. The National Green Tribunal's western bench in Pune had directed the formation of a committee consisting of one member each from MPCB and the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). The committee was tasked with verifying if the Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) takes action against illegal dumping and burning of garbage at Hadapsar.
The tribunal took suo moto cognisance of a news item that stated that about 200 families were affected by air thickened by garbage burning in Hadapsar. The bench also noted that a fire broke out at the depot, resulting in severe air pollution, and that incidents of illegal garbage burning at the site had been frequent. PMC previously said that the dumping site falls within PCB's jurisdiction.
PCB stated that multiple measures were taken to prevent dumping and garbage fires in the area, which the tribunal was dissatisfied with. The committee in its report stated that PCB is processing around 150 tonnes of solid waste (100 from PCB's jurisdiction and 50 from PMC's jurisdiction) every day. Eight acres of land have been allotted for the landfill, of which 4 acres have been found operational.
Sixty thousand cubic metres of waste have been bio-mined, and process for 35,000 cubic metres is under way. Six CCTV cameras have been installed at the site to ensure no garbage burning incidents occur, and one fire engine and water tanks have been installed to prevent fires, the report said. Based on the report, MPCB on March 21 suggested that PCB and PMC start a sanitary landfill system in accordance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, ensuring no environmental degradation including pollution of groundwater, surface water and fugitive air dust.
The pollution control board also said that PCB and PMC should install cameras at the site of dumping grounds facing multiple sides, deploy a sufficient number of fire tanks and engines, and water tanks. "Masonry tanks with full water must be provided, approach roads to the sites and roads within the site must be built, provide for stacking of earth soil to block the oxygen, do regular waste churning to ensure that no methane gas is released, and conduct yearly firefighting drills," MPCB said. "If these measures are implemented by PCB and PMC, then future fire incidents can be averted," said Kartikeya Langote, sub-regional officer, MPCB, Pune, in the March 21 report.
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