The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has decided to impose a fine of ₹50,000 on the East Delhi Municipal Corporation for not installing a leachate treatment plant (LTP) at the Ghazipur landfill, an official told The Hindu.
During its site inspection on February 15, it was found that due to the absence of an LTP, the untreated leachate at the landfill goes straight into a stormwater drain, the officer said, adding the DPCC will ask the EDMC to set up an LTP in the landfill premises within three months. Leachate is a highly contaminated liquid generated from the decomposition of garbage and rainwater that percolates into the soil through the volume of waste material. Leachate can mix with groundwater or seep into nearby bodies of surface water, jeopardising public health and the quality of the surrounding environment. The landfill is not an engineered sanitary landfill and it is spread across 70 acres. It gets 2,700 tons of waste per day and it had 140 lakh metro tons of legacy waste as of July 2019. Authorities are in the process of treating this legacy waste now, following court orders.
