Ensure garbage burning law doesn’t go up in smoke

The burning of household garbage and dry leaves is a common sight early in the morning when the sweepers come and clean the streets. The sweepers are ignorant of the fact that during the burning of the garbage, they not only pollute the fresh morning air but also burn alive several small insects and ants which are hardly visible to the naked eyes. The killer smoke affects the eyes and also causes breathing problems for the people. The Municipal Corporation should instruct the sweepers and other sanitary workers not to burn the garbage. Big dustbins should be arranged in the localities so that the garbage and other discarded material can be put into them. Also, the residents should cooperate with the Administration by adopting  zero tolerance towards dirt, filth and unclean surroundings.

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Ravinder Kumar Jain, Ludhiana

Stop burning of garbage

As we all know, clean environment is green environment. To achieve this, we should curb pollution. Burning of garbage should be stopped as it pollutes the atmosphere. It is dangerous as it releases gases which are harmful as they cause many diseases.  Instead of burning garbage and leaves, they should be allowed to decompose as they can be used as manure to replenish the fertility of the soil.

Biogas plants can be installed which not only utilise things which would have otherwise gone waste but also provide manure and gas for cooking.

It is a very simple process that can be used by everyone. It is totally pollution-free and environment friendly.

Dishant Sethi, Ahmedgarh

Make campaign successful

Strategies and bold steps by the residents and the government can bring about fruitful results. Two major concerns of the modern world are climate change and health issues arising due to pollution. Smoke mixed with fog and air creates smog which is a major reason for the ill-effects on health and climate.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) alone cannot handle the situation unless and until local organisations and government officials cooperate to bring about best results.

A panel including government officials, local organisations , educationists and environmentalists play a vital role in framing rules and regulations. To implement these rules, residents should be educated on the effects of burning garbage on health and environment, nukkad nataks (plays) should be staged and above all, strict action should be taken against the defaulters without any pressure to make this campaign successful.

Bipan Sethi, Ahmedgarh

Incineration versus recycling

Of the 3,000 cities in the WHO database, Ludhiana may be the fastest growing city in the country. But in its competition to be one, it has inevitably achieved the highest rank based on national air quality standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to protect public health as well as to calculate Air Quality Index (AQI). Further, EPA calculates the AQI for five major air pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act: ground-level ozone, particle pollution, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.

A major contributor to air pollution in the city, however, is the motor vehicles, the number of which increases with rising population. It is responsible for 80 to 90 per cent of carbon monoxide and lead emissions, and 50 to 80 per cent of hydrocarbon and nitrous oxide emissions but backyard burning of common household trash and smoke from burning leaves, grass, brush and plants that contains high concentrations of pollutants, and reactive gases that can contribute to smog formation has become a cause of concern these days.

In spite of knowing the fact that smoke is a health and environmental hazard, nothing concrete has so far been done by the state government as well as by the administration to control it. EPA emission test shows one burnt barrel emits up to 80 times more pollution and up to 11 times the dioxin per pound of garbage burned than a municipal waste incinerator that serves tens of thousands of homes. Residential trash burning is now the nation's largest source of dioxin emissions. One must know that common household trash such as synthetics, plastics, metals and packaging release potent chemicals when burned. Even common paper products like junk mail, cardboard, newsprint and magazines contain chemical dye, coatings, pigments and chlorine.To keep a tab on the burning of dry leaves and household garbage, the administration and government must think on municipal 'waste-to-energy' incinerator technology that can be touted as green trash-disposal alternative. For communities short on landfill space, "waste-to-energy" incineration sounds like a bulletproof solution. Recycle all you can, and turn the rest into heat or electricity.

Ravi Chander Garg, Ludhiana

Manage the waste

In spite of making city residents aware about pollution in the city, people do not stop harmful practices such as burning of garbage. Burning of garbage is a dangerous activity. Special teams should be formed to check this habit. Residents should be informed about the detrimental effects these practice have on our environment. We should separate the metal and rubber in the garbage in a healthy and environment-friendly way. Efforts should be made to manage the waste. We can also follow the practice of a local drop bin.

Aashna Taneja, Ludhiana

Punish those who pollute environment

Those who burn the garbage and pollute the air not only destroy our environment but also adversely play with human lives. Many people suffer from this unpleasant attitude towards the environment. Besides affecting our respiratory track, carcinogenic dioxide induces toxic effects in brain and causes nerve damage. The people involved in this faulty activity must be punished severely and even awarded death penalty. After all, they are playing with the lives of the people but there are many who are unaware and really don't know what to do with the rubbish. Awareness campaigns should be organised, especially in the backward areas. Use of colour-coded dustbins should be encouraged.

Pooja Goyal, Mandi Ahmedgarh

Fines should be imposed

Winter season comes with a warning for the poor and they resort to burning garbage which includes plastic that ultimately leads to air pollution and choking.

To avoid this, the government must sell free heaters and quilts for the poor so that they do not burn the garbage. NGOs can be roped in for this cause.  Before donating these, they must be made aware of air pollution which is affecting the whole world slowly. 

Educate them before providing them the facilities because they are not only for their own benefit but for the upcoming generations as well.

And if the shopkeepers or residents are seen burning garbage, on the spot fines must be imposed on them.

Gursimar Kaur Middha, Ludhiana

Air contamination increasing

It is rightly said that love is in the air but that air is highly polluted. We all want to live in pollution-free air but in a case of hypocrisy, we are contaminating that air also. Due to urbanisation and industrialization, contamination of air is increasing in Ludhiana. Following the even and odd system of vehicles can be useful in curbing pollution. The dumping of garbage can be used as the other alternative for burning of garbage. After black money, pollution must be next on the agenda of the government.

Kajal Kaushal, Mandi Ahmedgarh

No single source of pollution

The figures tell an alarming tale about the air quality. Policies to address the problem of air pollution has not yielded convincing results. The pollutants are toxic to humans, depending on their concentration and may cause irritation, skin and respiratory problems. Some are even carcinogenic. It is important to acknowledge the complexity of the air quality challenge. There is no single pollutant source responsible - road dust, construction activities, waste burning, vehicle emissions, diesel generators, industries, power plants and brick kilns. The solution space will require public and political action, and needs to address each of these sources. Multiple departments with overlapping or indistinct duties make bureaucratic lapses easy in the process of implementing any policy meant to address the problem. Proper scientific management of domestic waste, encouraging composting of dry waste and simple scientific innovation in waste management can go a long way.

Nikhil Chopra, Jagraon

Garbage should be separated

To save the city from choking with pollution from garbage, the first important step is that its burning must be stopped totally at all cost.  At home level, garbage should be separated in two bags, one for the waste that decomposes and the second for that which does not decompose. This is the practice in Western countries. Now that garbage collection contract for Ludhiana has been renewed with the A to Z company, they should collect these two bags from each household. The public should be educated to follow this practice. Waste plastic bags that do not decompose should never be burnt. Also, use of plastic bags must be banned strictly. Recent research findings abroad have shown that burning of plastic bags produce specific chemicals which induces cancer in human beings. For handling garbage, methods have been developed by the agricultural universities to produce excellent manure which can be diverted to agriculture for production of organic food and vegetables.

Dr G Dev, Kitchlu Nagar

Sensitise the sweepers  

The roadside trees shed their leaves and are generally burnt to dispose the waste. The sweeping of the road is done by the employees of the municipal corporation. They collect the leaves and clippings which are fluffy in nature, carry these to some isolated place in the colony or vacant plot and burn them.  The residents also throw the clippings of their garden in the street.  People think that the street sweeper will carry this garbage. The sweepers refuse to collect, as it is not part of street sweeping. Some people pay the sweeper for disposing of this material by any means and most burn it themselves or throw in the vacant plot.

However, there is a need to sensitise the sweepers for not burning the leaves. Also, clear cut guidelines should be formulated and suitable arrangements made by the MC to collect the household garden clippings etc.

Dr Bikkar Singh Sidhu, Ludhiana