HC raps BMC, MPCB over new complaint of foul odour from Kanjurmarg dump

The court asked the authorities to explain what triggered the sudden spike in odour, while emphasising the need for a “complete surveillance” through CCTV cameras at the dumping ground

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Thursday criticised the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) over a fresh episode of foul odour emitting from the Kanjurmarg dumping ground, as claimed by residents of the eastern suburbs.

Kanjurmarg Dumping Ground - Photo by D. Stalin 31.10.12

A division bench of justices Girish Kulkarni and Aarti Sathe asked the authorities to explain what triggered the sudden spike in odour, while emphasising the need for a “complete surveillance” through CCTV cameras at the dumping ground.

“We have been making inquiries for the past four to five days. There was no odour, but suddenly it happened today. What happened at the site yesterday? You have to answer,” the bench said.

The remarks came after advocate Abhijeet P Rane, representing the residents of the Kannamwar Cooperative Housing Society in Vikhroli, told the court that he had written an email to the operators of the dumping ground early Thursday, alleging that an “unbearable odour” had spread across the neighbourhood in the morning.

The email claimed that the strong stench had spread to areas up to two kilometres from the dumping ground and requested that the authorities immediately take steps to resolve the issue.

Rane said he called the landfill’s helpline number and spoke to the site supervisor. He claimed that the supervisor assured him the matter will be looked into, but requested him to fill a lengthy form to formally proceed with the complaint. Rane told the court that expecting citizens to complete lengthy complaint procedures during such incidents is not feasible, and urged that the redressal mechanism be made simpler and user-friendly.

The court is hearing a batch of petitions filed by residents of the eastern suburbs, nonprofit Vanashakti, and others, challenging the continued dumping of municipal solid waste at the Kanjurmarg landfill. The petitions also raised concerns about persistent odour emanating from the facility, claiming it was spreading across Kanjurmarg, Bhandup, Vikhroli and Mulund, particularly at night.

On Thursday, after hearing the petitioner, the court acknowledged that the situation had improved in recent days but sought an explanation from the state authorities for the “sudden spout” of odour. When the authorities could not give satisfactory answers, the bench said, “It happens for certain reasons. You’re completely aware of it, but it’s not coming out. These are all human activities. Different things are working from different places through different cells. What is that activity? You have to tell us. We are quite puzzled.”

The court stressed that methane emissions remain a major concern for the large number of workers employed at the dumping ground “They’ll be the first to be affected. They are required to be safeguarded. Occupational hazards and diseases for these kinds of exposures are very serious. You have to be very careful of this,” it said.

The court had previously flagged concerns about methane emissions at the site in April, noting that the gas was more harmful than carbon dioxide, and directed daily monitoring and mitigation measures. On Thursday, it said that ambient air quality monitoring and analysis must be conducted, including a comprehensive study of the nature of pollution generated by the site.

The bench on Thursday also criticised the MPCB specifically for allegedly failing to actively monitor the site. “What does the pollution control board do? This should be your primary responsibility. Everyone is working, BMC is doing its job, but the pollution control board is doing nothing,” the bench said, before directing the MPCB to appoint a committee to examine the issue.

The bench also directed the state’s counsel to seek instructions from the authorities and inform the court about the nature and stage of the activities triggering the odour.