Opened in 1984, the Ghazipur dump-yard was once a great initiative by the Delhi government made towards waste management. The landfill reached it’s capacity in 2002 and should have been shut down at the time. But since there was no other alternative, the city continued to dump garbage there turning it into a hazardous place.
What’s more? India’s tallest rubbish mountain is on its way to rise higher than the Taj Mahal in the next year, becoming a symbol for what the UN considers the world’s most polluted capital. India’s Supreme Court warned last year that red warning lights will soon have to be put on the dump to alert passing jets.
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Taking up the area of almost 40 football pitches, the rubbish mountain rises 10 meters every year and is always covered by hawk and other prey birds, and stay animals. Almost 2,000 tonnes of garbage is dumped in the ground every day.
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In the year 2018, a section of the mountain collapsed killing two people. While this incident stopped the dumping on the ground for a few days but it was not a permanent solution as eventually, people fell back into the routine of dumping there.
The terrible stench of the garbage and prey birds circulating the area is not the only problem. The rise of waste in the Ghazipur dump-yard has also become the reason of frequent fires, and health issues in the area.
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Fires sparked due to methane rising from the dump often break out and takes days to extinguish. This methane when combines with the atmosphere can prove to be dangerous. There is also Leachate, a black toxic liquid that oozes from the dump and makes its way to the local canal. At this point, the Ghazipur dump-yard is a major contributor in polluting the air as well as the underground water.
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The residents of the Ghazipur area are also not happy with the current situation of the area. The smell rising from the dump mountain has already made their lives a living hell, adding to it are the various diseases that people have to face due to the toxic substances released by the pile of dump.
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The doctors in the area claim that every day they treat about 70 patients including babies suffering from major respiratory and stomach ailments caused by polluted air.
We are appalled by how something that started with the aim of reducing plastic pollution and waste management can turn into a threat to the environment and the biggest contributor to the pollution in the city. We hope that eventually, the authorities are able to find a suitable alternative for this problem, eventually returning Ghazipur to its former glory where at least the residents can lead a normal life without fearing deadly outbreaks.