Poop from sky again: NGT asks panels to ascertain if it is human or bird excreta

The order came after hearing a complaint of Vasant Enclave resident Lieutenant General (retd) Satwant Singh Dahiya, on whose petition the green court had last year issued a comprehensive order.

For residents in areas adjoining the Delhi airport, the problem of poop falling from the sky is back. And the green court now wants to know if it is human or bird excreta.

The National Green Tribunal on Friday has asked a special committee, which will include representatives from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Central Avian Research Institute and Central Pollution Control Board, to collect samples of the alleged poop falling from the sky in areas near the Delhi airport. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

The National Green Tribunal on Friday has asked a special committee, which will include representatives from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Central Avian Research Institute and Central Pollution Control Board, to collect samples of the alleged poop falling from the sky in areas near the Delhi airport.

The committee members will collect samples on Saturday and send them for tests to find out whether it is human or bird excreta. The reports will be submitted before the next date of hearing on December 5, a bench headed by NGT chairperson, justice Swatanter Kumar, said.

The order came after hearing a complaint of Vasant Enclave resident Lieutenant General (retd) Satwant Singh Dahiya, on whose petition the green court had last year issued a comprehensive order.

It had also asked the DGCA to carry out a surprise inspection of aircraft landing at the airport to ensure that their toilet tanks are not emptied while landing, and the waste is not splashed on residential areas or on any other place prior to landing.

Plane toilets store human waste in special tanks. These are normally disposed off by ground crew once the plane lands, but aviation experts say that lavatory leaks can occur in the air at times. There have been instances, including in India, when people have been injured.

Earlier, the petitioner had asked for criminal proceedings against commercial airlines and levy of hefty fines on them for endangering the health of residents, terming the act as a violation of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

In his petition, Dahiya had asked for a 24-hour helpline for immediate reporting of the incident and a monitoring mechanism to check that no aircraft drops “human soil or excreta” while landing.