Residents of Okhla, Narela-Bawana, Ghazipur who claim to be facing ‘toxic threat’ from municipal waste incinerator plants operating in their area have now approached the National Human Rights Commission seeking its urgent intervention to stop what they terms as “preventable public health disaster and to address the issue of health rights of the residents of the present and future generations”.
In their appeal to the chairman of the Commission Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, the residents have noted that prior to this the Delhi High Court and Parliamentary Standing Committee on Urban Development has ruled against such hazardous incinerator/combustion technologies.
Such plants pose a grave threat to the health and environment of the residential areas of Narela-Bawana and Ghazipur. “Over 100 doctors have written letters on the subject of public health crisis in the Okhla residential areas and sought protection from the chemicals and other hazardous chemicals being emitted from the municipal waste incinerator plant located amid Sukhdev Vihar, Hazi colony and other colonies,’’ noted the letter.
Also 80 doctors from Holy Family Hospital in Okhla and some other hospitals across the city have written open letters raising concerns about emissions from the Okhla waste-to-energy plant. In their letters, written on individual letterheads, doctors have said polluting emissions from the plant could lead to allergies, asthma, cancers and reproductive anomalies. “Meanwhile, the Central Pollution Control Board checks at the plant site have revealed dioxin emissions to be way higher than the permissible limit. Residents are extremely concerned about fly ash from the plant falling on their homes and vehicles. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee issued a show cause notice to the plant in January for not meeting the air quality standard,’’ said Gopal Krishna of ToxicsWatch Alliance, a non-government organisation working on the issue.
Fr P.A. George, director of the Holy Family hospital said: “An unusually large number of patients are coming in with respiratory ailments like asthma and bronchitis, which can be attributed to the high levels of pollution in Okhla caused by the plant.’’ Neonatologist with Fortis La Femme Ashu Sawhney, who lives just behind the plant, noted: “Based on my experience as a paediatrician as well as various studies, I can say such pollutants cannot just cause respiratory illnesses but also learning and behavioural problems. My daughter developed asthma last year.”
Another paediatrician from AIIMS Shivani Randev said: “Most children from the area are suffering from respiratory illnesses. These pollutants can cause foetal anomalies, infertility, cancer and other health issues.’’
