‘Explain why CRZ site used for dumping in Diva’
The NGO had filed an application asking the tribunal to serve directions to close the Diva dumping ground located at Diva- Khardi road, Thane on the bank of Desai/Mumbra creek inside CRZ-1 area in violation of the CRZ notification 2011 and also the said site is unauthorised
Thane: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) in its order asked the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) to explain on what grounds the civic body has chosen a dumping site at Diva which falls under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ). This order is followed by an application filed by NGO Vanashakti.
“The NGT has found merit in our application and has said that the pollution board had found the civic body guilty of dumping waste on mangroves unscientifically and polluting the creek and also violating the CRZ norms. The NGT issued a notice to TMC which has to explain to its content how it chose this site and how it chose to dump mixed waste in the CRZ,” said Stalin Dayanand, director, Vanashakti.
“This is a good step by the NGT to haul them up for all the violations they did for all these years,” added Stalin.
The NGO had filed an application asking the tribunal to serve directions to close the Diva dumping ground located at Diva- Khardi road, Thane on the bank of Desai/Mumbra creek inside CRZ-1 area in violation of the CRZ notification 2011 and also the said site is unauthorised.
The NGT found that on a joint visit by the team of the auditor general and the TMC in 2017, it was found that waste was being dumped on the bank of Mumbra creek violating the norms of CRZ rules. No provision for a collection and treatment facility was made at the dumping which would badly affect the environment. It was also learned various fire incidents were reported at the dumping site in 2019.
The order by the NGT states that the MPCB had issued a show cause notice to TMC in May 2019, which mentioned an abnormally large quantity of mixed waste 650 metric tons were being dumped there.
“The BOD and COD and TDC were found to be extremely high when we collected the samples from the water from the creek,” said Stalin.
Vanashakti had also sent a legal notice to TMC. “After the notice was sent TMC moved to try and relocate the dumping ground. However, the damage is already done and they cannot escape the liability,” said Stalin.
Further, the NGT will list this matter on May 8, 2023, before which the TMCis supposed to respond with an explanation.
Meanwhile, the TMC claims to have stopped dumping at Diva since January 31 and shifted the dumping activity to Bhandarli temporarily.
Thane currently generates 1,039 tons of municipal solid waste daily. Out of this, 624 tons is wet waste, while 390 tons is dry waste including inert waste.
“Till the Daighar project is ready, the dumping and waste processing will continue in Bhandarli. It will take another two to three months for the first phase of the Daighar waste-to-energy project to begin. The second phase will also start in the next few months. With this, solid waste management will have a permanent solution,” said Abhijit Bangar.
Speaking about the NGT order Bangar said, “The case is being heard by the NGT and I have been attending the same. We are working on a solution to reclaim the diva site through biomining which presently has around 11 lakh metric tons of waste. For this, the work order will be given by may month end while the tender process is underway. The work though will be a bit late considering the monsoon. The civic body is coming up with measures to deal with the solid waste management and ensure the norms are not violated.”
