Hyderabad: Though the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a ban on burning waste in open places and a fine of Rs 25,000 has been imposed on each incident of bulk waste burning, this has not put an end to burning garbage in the open.
Setting fire to garbage in public spaces causes environmental problems as the fire damages other trees, small saplings and shrubs. Burning of plastic and other materials mixed in the waste adds to air pollution and is a health hazard. Carcinogens and poisonous gases are released into the air.
Vengal Rao Park, Necklace Road, Sanjeevaih Park, Secunderabad cantonment, Erragadda, and Sanath Nagar are some of the locations that see regular burning of garbage.
Shilpa Sivakumaran, a jogger at Vengal Rao Park, says, “We come here to breathe fresh air but where is the fresh air? I condemn all garbage burning. We should take proactive steps to prevent further pollution because of this. We cannot let Hyderabad become another Delhi where we all have to wear masks to combat smog and high pollution levels. We are being short sighted in burning garbage and not seeing the huge negative impact it has on our environment.”
Neha Muraka, a 29-year-old environmentalist from Hyderabad, explains why burning garden waste or biomass is environmentally unsound. “Biomass is very useful for maintaining soil fertility as biomass goes back into the earth as mulch which protects the soil and microbial activity is protected by mulching. The moment you start burning the biomass, it leads to air pollution and forest fires. Biomass should not be burnt but left to decompose. When it decomposes it becomes very useful for the soil and that makes trees healthy too.”
