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The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has constituted a joint committee headed by former Delhi High Court Judge SP Garg regarding the fire at the garbage dump site at Ghazipur in Delhi, and stated that the situation in Delhi may be more serious about the size of the garbage dump and its locality in a densely populated area, ANI reports.

The NGT bench headed by its Chairman, Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel passed an order dated April 22, 2022, and said that “this requires the constitution of a multi-department committee of concerned departments and responsible prompt actions at higher levels of the Administration”.

The bench stated “Accordingly. We constitute a Joint Committee headed by Justice SP Garg, former Judge, Delhi High Court with members from CPCB, DPCC, Department of Urban Development, Delhi, EDMC, Delhi Disaster Management Authority, and District Magistrate and DCP, East Delhi”.

The bench added that the landfill dump may be considered an isolated and vulnerable site that requires on-site and off-site and other disaster-management plans.

The NGT noted the media reports that the fire of the garbage dump site at Ghazipur in Delhi is emitting toxic smoke with potential for airborne diseases in the densely populated area. This may call for a direction under Section 15(1) of the NGT Act to prevent any further harm to the public health and environment.

The dumping site in Delhi and other cities are like 'time bombs' because they constantly generate explosive gases like methane which may escape through vertical and lateral ways posing a constant threat of explosion.

The NGT bench also said that the authorities are free to take further remedial action without waiting for the report of the committee or orders of the Tribunal.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said that the Delhi Govt. has directed Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and MCD to visit Mumbai to study the method and to find a solution to the fire incidents that took place in the Ghazipur landfill thrice in a month.

“We held a meeting with the concerned departments including the ones from IIT Delhi. What we have understood so far is that the cause of the fire is the methane gas that is produced in the dump. We have to find a way to solve the problem that was found in Mumbai where they used the Gas sucking system to solve the issue,” Rai had said.

Notably, the Ghazipur landfill has caught fire for the third time in one month. After the last fire incident dated April 9, 2022, the Delhi government imposed a fine on the East Delhi Municipal Corporation. But after the fire incident for the third time, Rai summoned the MCD recently and also held a meeting with all the related departments.

The matter has been listed for further hearing on May 27, 2022.