Located near the GT-Karnal road in North Delhi, the Bhalswa landfill sites occupy around 70 acres of land. The landfill site, which was first used in 1984 as a dumping ground, has now been converted into a mountain of trash.
Be it the domestic waste produced in our kitchens, plastic waste, chemicals or even the potentially toxic medical waste from hospitals, everything finds a place in this landfill. This heavily impacts the lives of the people living in the areas surrounding the landfills.
Manoj Pandey (56), a local leader, stated, “On one hand, the waste generates toxic gases that are inflammable and hazardous for our health. On the other hand, the decomposition of this waste produces a toxic liquid called Leachate. This liquid is seeping into the groundwater and destroying crops in the nearby areas.”
Pandey further added that these toxic substances are gradually becoming a part of their food chains and entering their bodies through food, water and air.
Rampukar (53), a resident of Bhalswa said, “The stink is unbearable. We can hardly eat. As the toxic chemicals percolate deep into our groundwater, cases of abortions in the area are increasing. Handicapped babies are being born. We do not know how to get the money for the treatment of diseases we are contracting.”
Besides this, the waste is frequently set on fire which goes out of control. On 13 December, a massive fire broke out in the area.
Poonam Devi (46), another resident, bemoaned how her husband and five children have been suffering from chest congestion and throat infections for quite a while now. She also complained of constant headaches and dizziness due to the smoke rising from such frequent fires.
She further said, “My 10-year-old has been coughing incessantly. We went to a local primary health clinic but to no avail. The smoke and the smell emerging from the waste has always bothered us. Now that it has started affecting our health, we know how dangerous it is.”
Kanchan Oberoi, a doctor at the Babu JagJivan Ram Hospital in Bhalswa, said, “The kind of cases we see in and around Bhalswa are different from elsewhere in the city. Here, the population is constantly being exposed to toxins. The risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, constricted nasal cavity, tuberculosis, and most dangerously, lung cancer, lurks in these pockets.”
Rani, another resident of Bhalswa, said, “People over here easily contract Tuberculosis. Even cases of cancer are quite common in the area, and so is death.”
Over one lakh people live dangerously close to the dump and breathe in this toxic air. If the authorities do not take immediate action soon, the future of those living around this mountain of trash looks grim.