‘Jalaane se sab Khatam ho jata hai’!
By
Karan Deep Singh
Leaves, cans, papers, polythene bags, wrappers, plastic bottles, ropes, whatever you might spot on the road, you are sure to find it the next day in a heap conveniently torched like the one below. Not, that dustbins are not present, they are present if they are not otherwise burnt in rage during a protest. The simple reason an MCD sweeper will cite on being questioned is ‘jalaane se sab khatam ho jata hai’. In case you’re thinking of enlightening them about the fact that burning garbage is illegal, they will say ‘kudda kya sarkar ka hai’!
On visiting the Government of NCT of Delhi’s website, you will find a scanned office order dated 26th of March 2008 regarding the continuation orders for a drive which should have been conducted from 27th March 2008 to 3rd April 2008 to keep a check on illegal burning of leaves and garbage under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and Environment Protection Act, 1986. There is no other information available regarding this menace.
Let us go back to the answers that we received from the MCD sweepers. The myth that burning of leaves and garbage is the best possible disposal method as it makes the garbage ‘disappear’ is not just in the minds of these officials. For a long time, backyard garbage burning has been a widely popular method to get rid of home garbage in rural areas not just in our country, but even in the
Perhaps we, human beings, feel anything that doesn’t meet the eye or is invisible is actually not there. Therefore, for once let us look at what has been invisible for years.
The smoke released due to burning of leaves which forms a greater part of open garbage fires leads to air pollution and is a health and fire hazard. The smoke from burning leaves contains a number of toxic and/or irritating particles and gases. The tiny particles contained in smoke from burning leaves can accumulate in the lungs and stay there for years. These particles can increase the risk of respiratory infection, as well as reduce the amount of air reaching the lungs. For those who already suffer from asthma and other breathing disorders, burning of leaves can be extremely hazardous. Some of the hydrocarbons released are also known to be carcinogenic.
Acids and other chemicals emitted by trash fires can cause severe bronchio-constriction and can cause breathing difficulty for those suffering from asthma and emphysema.
The irritation of the lungs can reduce the amount of oxygen available to the heart and lungs and can be dangerous especially for those suffering from heart diseases.
Even if you do not suffer immediate effects, exposure to smoke emitted by garbage fires can be extremely hazardous the longer you are exposed to it. The effects can include damage to your lungs, nervous system, kidneys and liver. Chronic diseases like bronchitis, emphysema and most cancer can take 20 years to develop and can be caused by low exposures to smoke and toxins which originally appear harmless.
Children can be at greater risk due to their body size as they inhale more air per pound of body mass than a normal adult, and can absorb proportionately larger "dose" of toxins. Also, their bodies are more susceptible to damage from the mercury, lead, cadmium and other heavy metals found in the smoke because their nervous systems are not fully developed.
Often, the garbage heaps like these also contain roadside waste like plastic bottles, polythene bags and other polymers which when burnt can release highly toxic gases and can find their way up the food chain.
Another fact is that burning garbage produces unpredictable results when burned together. This is because garbage contains so many components that when burned, simply changes chemical form. The resulting pollutants are therefore always unknown. When you burn plastics with paper and other materials, the chemicals on them may be released into the atmosphere or left on the ground. These will find its way into the biological systems of plants and animals and ultimately deposited into human cells and tissues. From there it may cause anything from simple allergies to more formidable conditions like Cancer.
One of the most dangerous pollutants that is produced as a result of garbage being burned together is a highly toxic chemical called Dioxin. The World Health Organization says: “Once dioxins have entered the environment or body, they are there to stay due to their uncanny ability to dissolve in fats and to their rock-solid chemical stability.”
Some substances when burnt along with garbage can have acute effects. For instance, it takes only five ounces of burning PVC to give off enough hydrogen chloride gas to kill someone in an average-size room in just ten minutes.
These effects definitely lead to just one conclusion. When we burn these heaps next time, be assured that a greater part will surely ‘disappear’ but generates enough POISON which will eventually lead us all to a slow death by the element which is indeed visible: FIRE!
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