Residents raise concern after sanitation workers set garbage on fire

Residents of Sector 63, who have been complaining of illegal dumping and burning of garbage on the roadside, said they spotted sanitation workers engaged by the Noida authority resorting to the hazardous activity

Residents of Sector 63, who have been complaining of illegal dumping and burning of garbage on the roadside, said they spotted sanitation workers engaged by the Noida authority resorting to the hazardous activity.

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The residents’ welfare association (RWA) members of Bahlolpur, which further connects to FNG road, on Saturday also shared videos on social media of a sanitation worker burning garbage. Pointing out that garbage dumping and burning have become a major menace in their area, residents said the waste from the local vegetable market was burnt at night and the refuse kept smouldering till morning.

“We had been complaining that garbage is often dumped on the roadside and set afire. Just about two weeks ago, a large pile of garbage was set on fire and we had to call the fire department to douse the flames. Officials put the blame on unknown miscreants but we saw the authority’s worker setting the garbage afire. How can we sensitise ragpickers when hired sanitation workers are resorting to this illegal activity,” said Sonu Yadav, vice-president of Bahlolpur RWA, Sector 63, who shared the video on social media.

According to environmentalists, the issue is an old one and persists due to lack of sensitisation of sanitation staff.

“It’s a continuing issue and happens primarily because the authority has hired contractors to pick the garbage or clean roads and these contractors don’t sensitise their staff. The staff are often clueless about what to do with certain waste, like horticultural or other dry waste, so they burn it. In their mind, they are doing the right thing. The authority must give clear directions to contractors to guide the ground workers,” said Vikrant Tongad, Noida-based environmentalist.

He further said garbage burning is one of the most common sights in the city.

“Take any random road in Noida, travel for some distance and you will find garbage burning on the roadside at any point of time,” Tongad said.

Meanwhile, the officials state that they are taking strict action on the complaint. “The incident was reported from FNG road and we are taking strict action against the supervisor and workers. They have strict guidelines to not burn garbage. We will also ensure that such incidents are not repeated,” said IP Singh, officer on special duty (health), Noida authority.

Noida generates around 700 tonnes of domestic waste daily. The door-to-door garbage collection covers 220 high-rises having 140,000 apartments, about 98 RWAs having 40,000 houses and about 70 small and big villages within the city, the officials said.

After collection, the garbage goes to 21 different transfer stations of the Noida authority, where the unsegregated waste is separated manually with help of ragpickers and later sent to the main storage facility at Sector 145.