Air pollution has reached alarming levels as far as Delhi is concerned. It does not require an environmental expert to say that. Chimneys spewing out black-grey smoke and releasing pungent-stench, in and around Delhi, are a huge reason of air pollution in the metropolis. There are currently a few operating municipal waste incinerators in the city. One such giant has been made operational as recently as the beginning of January 2012 next to a big privately-owned super specialty hospital. A large amount of toxic pollutants contained in the stack gases and ashes produced by incinerators threaten the health and quality of life of a large number of people. It is commonly believed that waste disappears when it is burnt. In fact, the burnt waste is transformed into ashes and gas.
A large incinerator produces the equivalent of 300 wheelie bins of exhaust gases from its chimneys every second. Due to these chemical reactions hundreds of new compounds are formed, some of which are extremely toxic. So far, scientists have identified a few hundred substances as hazardous. Incinerator plants are a source of extremely toxic pollutants: Dioxin, acid gases, particulates, heavy metals and some of the emissions are carcinogenic. Each tonne of waste burnt releases around 5,000 cubic meters of gases containing many pollutants. The pollutants are transported in the air and deposited in water and soil. Even though at times the gases coming from the chimney-stack appear clean, they contain very fine particles of dust.
Metals in the waste vaporise and get attached to the dust particles formed by incineration. Some are caught in filters and become fly ash, others are washed out in the gas-cleaning unit and the rest are released into the air from the chimney-stacks.
The most notorious of incineration by-products are dioxin. These are die-hard organic compounds, which are formed when chlorinated substances in the waste, such as PVC plastic, are burnt. Dioxin are persistent, toxic, and accumulate in the food chain. They have the capacity to travel long distances on air currents so they are now a global contaminant and are thought to be present in the body tissues of almost every human being on the planet earth at levels that may already be affecting our health. The most toxic of these dioxin causes cancer. Particulates released are very dangerous for our health. Adverse effects from fine particles range from premature deaths from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases to mild and severe asthma attacks in children and adults. Inorganic acidic gases such as hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen bromide, sulphur oxides and nitrogen oxides emitted by incinerators have adverse impacts on the respiratory system.
Studies in various countries like United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy etc. regarding emissions from incinerators, have shown serious adverse effect on human health. The dioxin, acid gases, particulates etc. are eating into our system. The smoke and stench from incinerators is slowly, steadily and silently killing us. Incinerators must be replaced immediately with recycling and composting facilities if we have to survive.
In metro cities such as Delhi, commercial activity is bound to grow. The roads are chocked with vehicles whose numbers increase by the hour. Reports by the monitoring authority regarding air quality in Delhi have shown that air pollution caused by vehicles is beyond the permissible limit. It is true that authorities have taken certain steps to control air-pollution caused by vehicles by introducing CNG especially for heavy vehicles. Pollution check for all vehicles using any kind of fuel is mandatory. Yet, there is a lot still to be done. A new study by the US-based Massachusetts Institute of Technology has found that the concentration of hazardous Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter in Delhi’s air is double the national limit and six times the threshold set by the World Health Organisation.
Laws are made by the authorities; law enforcing agencies make an effort. But the real change can come only when the citizens take it upon themselves, to check on self and inspire others to control air pollution. Immediate attention must now be paid to incinerators close to residential areas causing pollution. There must be absolute prioritisation given to human health requirements and air pollution must be controlled for the sake of survival of a healthy vibrant society.
