As one enters the Yamuna floodplains, on the stretch between Old Railway Bridge and Geeta Colony, closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV) and public addressing systems greet the person from the poles erected on the riverbed.
The new additions are a part of the Delhi Development Authority’s efforts to curb illegal dumping of construction waste and debris on the floodplains.
A total of eight cameras have been installed along the stretch, with another 34 in the pipeline to cover the entire area, said DDA officials.
“The first phase was completed around one and a half months ago. The locations were identified keeping in mind the points from where the trucks usually enter for muck dumping on the floodplains,” said a DDA official on condition of anonymity.
Ignored orders
Dumping of construction debris has continued on the Yamuna floodplains despite several orders and judgments of the National Green Tribunal.
In a detailed order passed by the green panel in January 2015, a Bench headed by former NGT chairperson Swatanter Kumar had said: “Whoever violates this direction relating to dumping of debris shall be liable to pay compensation of ₹50,000 on the ‘Polluter Pays Principle’ and ‘Precautionary Principle’.”
Debris dumped on the Yamuna floodplains in the Capital. (Right) CCTVs cameras are being installed on the riverbed to curb illegal dumping of construction waste in the area. V. V. KRISHNAN
It also imposed a spot fine of ₹5,000 on dumping religious and other waste. “We hereby prohibit any person from throwing puja material or any other material like foodgrain, oil etc. into the Yamuna except on designated site. Any person who is found disobeying this direction shall be liable to pay compensation of ₹5,000,” the panel observed.
The green tribunal had directed the authorities to remove construction and all other wastes lying on the entire stretch within “four months” of its order. However, illegal dumping of waste has continued over the years across the banks of the Yamuna.
‘Simple step’
Environmentalist Manoj Mishra, on whose petition the judgment was delivered by the NGT, said: “It is a shame that the DDA has taken so long [since January 2015] to initiate a simple step. While we wish that some effective steps are taken, we are not really hopeful that the measures, as planned, shall put a halt to dumping [of waste] and continuous encroachment as one does not need CCTV cameras to pinpoint the culprits.” The cameras being installed by the DDA have advanced technology to detect illegal dumping of waste, said the DDA official.
“The cameras have automatic number plate readers to track vehicles indulging in illegal waste dumping on the floodplains. They also have a 360-degree rotation feature to focus and detect any unusual activity. Public address systems are also being installed to ensure people do not dump waste,” he said.
A senior DDA official associated with the project said: “With a coordinated system between our own security teams, cameras and police teams, we are hoping that the strategy to detect and remove illegal dumping and unauthorised colonies will work out. There is also the presence of multiple anti-social elements and we are hoping to tackle this aspect as well.”
When The Hindu visited the floodplains near Geeta Colony after the Chhath Puja celebrations, municipal workers were seen clearing the banks and dumping the waste into the river.
When asked why they were doing so, they claimed that they were merely “depositing” the flowers and puja materials into the river so that a machine used for cleaning the water could collect them.
“We are putting all the materials into the river so that the machine which comes to clean can collect the waste from the river itself. Leaving the material on the banks is not viable as often the wind scatters the waste and dirties the area further,” said a civic body worker.
Monitoring panel
In July this year, the NGT had constituted a Monitoring Committee, comprising former Delhi Chief Secretary Shailaja Chandra and former NGT expert member Bikram Singh Sajwan, to submit an action plan to clean the river and the floodplains.
In a detailed report compiled by the committee, accessed by The Hindu , several directions have been given to the authorities including the DDA. It has been suggested that the committee, on a monthly basis, should monitor the status of cases reported for police action, arrests made, number of trucks impounded and compensation levied.
The committee in its report observed: “The result of CCTV monitoring is vague and gives no confidence that the footage has been reviewed and acted on. On the use of remote sensing, the same vague response has been repeated orally and in writing without any specificity.”
However, DDA officials said that through deployment of guards, along with the CCTV monitoring, the authorities are hoping that illegal dumping can be curbed.
“Tenders for private security guards have also been floated. Approximately 60 guards should be present at the site, round-the-clock, with five security men for each 4-km stretch. This is being done to prevent fresh encroachments. Also, barricading will be done to prevent dumping of debris,” an official said.
By January next year, the installation of cameras on the remaining stretches of the Yamuna floodplains is expected to be completed, the official added.
Highlighting the urgency of the issue, which has remained unresolved over the years, Mr. Mishra said: “The ground-level staff know who the culprits are. It is more a matter of intent than getting hold of the wrongdoers. There is brazen invasion taking place south of the DND [Delhi-Noi da Direct flyway]. Do you really need a CCTV to know of it?”
