As per the Delhi’s Economic Survey, 2003-2004, National Productivity Council (NPC) has done study of three places for handling of hazardous waste (HW) to identify one place as a site for disposal.

So far neither old industrial estates have common hazardous waste disposal facilities. Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) had entrusted a study to National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) on preparing Industrial Directory containing relevant information, before undertaking any corrective measures.

The emission of hazardous wastes from the industrial units, in Delhi has raised an alarming signal in the city. In order to control such pollution, without hampering the interest of industrial units, the DPCC is in the process of taking corrective measures.

According to the study, there are 28 approved industrial areas in Delhi with a total of 21,627 industrial units. Apart from these newer locations are also coming up as developed industrial areas. Of these industrial units, about one-fifth units are either closed or, their allocated plot is lying vacant. Nearly two thirds of all industrial units are located in six larger industrial areas namely Anand Parbat Industrial Estate (17.23%), Mayapuri Industrial Area (15.10%), Okhla Industrial Area (11.34%), Narela Industrial Area (9.59%, Wazirpur Industrial Area (7.70%) and Kirti Nagar Industrial Estate (6.82%). Only one third of the units are located in the remaining 22 industrial areas.

The survey showed that 70 percent of the units are engaged mainly in the following eighteen industrial activities. Most of them are engaged in more than one type of industrial activity. Production as well as trading is carried out in almost all-industrial areas of Delhi.

Supreme Court has appointed Monitoring Committee with the mandate to ensure implementation of the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s directions dated October 14, 2003 on Hazardous Wastes and Chemicals.

As per the figures of DPCC, there are about 1777 hazardous waste generating units in these industrial areas generating about 50 tonnes of hazardous wastes every day.

As per a report submitted to the Monitoring Committee, interestingly, in March 2003, the figure was 2611 of such units and in March 2004 it came down to 1777 units (as per HW categories under the amended Hazardous Waste Rules 2003 which now includes 36 manufacturing processes). It should also be noted that a similar jugglery with figures took place during the process of closure of polluting industries ordered by the Supreme Court, when the 168 hazardous industries identified in 1996 climbed steadily to almost 100,000 non-conforming industries by 2000.

Also as per official figures, about 890 units generate 90% of the hazardous wastes, with metal finishing (67.5%, 658 units), Textile dyeing and Printing (12.7%, 79 units), Metal casting (8%, 153 units) contributing mostly to the generation of hazardous wastes. Besides, about 3000 KL/year of used/spent oil is generated in Delhi.

An inventory has been prepared by NCAER and NPC, hazardous wastes generating industries and types of hazardous wastes generated in the Delhi are given below:

The official categories does not include furnaces and three thermal power stations in Delhi, which contribute significant amount of ash (fly ash and bottom ash), laden with toxic heavy metals, besides air emissions of toxic heavy metals like mercury.

Although Delhi’s Master Plan made provisions for setting up of 66 industrial areas by 2001, but only 31 were constructed. This led to the entrepreneurs setting up industries in non-conforming areas, having left with no other option. While being fully aware of this unplanned manner of expansion of industries, the state government continued to offer several incentives to industrialists to set up industries in Delhi.

Studies show that up to 82% of women and 84% children rag pickers in Delhi are anemic. Such poor health condition, coupled with their poor living conditions and poverty, make them an even more vulnerable target for illness form poorly disposed hazardous wastes.

Many types of waste are also transformed by the very nature of their being dumped indiscriminately. In the winter, fires from discarded plastics are commonly seen, as are smoldering dumps, put on fire to handle the open dumps that the municipal agencies cannot clear, gives their infrastructure problems. This has left the field open for the unorganized, informal sector, which is doing a great job of segregation and recycling. The workers in this sector suffer the most from the hazardous nature of some of the wastes.

The Survey seems unaware of the fact that Hazardous Waste Rules 2003 which now includes 36 manufacturing processes is now operational for it refers to the Rules of 2000.

Efforts are on to develop a common site for the disposal of the hazardous waste in Delhi. Delhi Government has requested Central Government to coordinate and take a lead in liaison with the National Capital Region Planning Board.