E-Paper
Toxic smoke from blazing garbage dump cloaks Nabha
Toxic chemicals and smoke are coming out of the garbage dump in Nabha, 25km from the district headquarters
: Heavy toxic smoke, emanating from an 8-acre garbage dump burning for the past three days, has enveloped Nabha city in the district after the local municipal committee set the waste, including plastic, on fire in violation of the directions of the National Green Tribunal.
Poisonous fumes and toxic chemicals are coming out of the garbage dump in the city, 25km from the district headquarters.
In 2016, the tribunal had imposed a complete ban on burning of waste in open places across the country and announced a fine of ₹25,000 on each incident of bulk waste burning.
Nabha municipal council president Rajneesh Kumar said they have rushed fire brigade vehicles to the spot, but they could not gain entry to the site as plastic waste had also caught fire.
“Senior officials of the municipal committee have been directed to remain stationed at the spot,” he said.
When queried that it was the sanitation employees who actually burnt the waste to dispose it off, an official said the civic body’s executive officer has been directed to fix responsibility.
Gurpreet Singh, a local resident, said that the smell of plastic burning had pervaded their homes, impacting their routine and also putting them at risk of diseases.
“It has become a regular practice for the civic body to burn litter in bulk. Over the past week, the thick smoke and foul odour has meant that we could hardly go outside our homes,” he said.
