Twin Nuh villages dumpyard for Rajasthan chemical waste

Sumedha Sharma

Gurugram, May 28

As the authorities continue to turn a blind eye to rampant burning of toxic industrial waste of Rajasthan at Khori Khurd village in Nuh, residents have threatened to evacuate the village and immolate themselves.

Air smells toxic all day

The air here smells of chemicals all the time. Every night, huge trucks bring barrels laced with chemicals and set them on fire. Sometimes, they arrive in the afternoon and we have to shut the school. We have begged every minister to look into it, but nobody cares. Usman Ali, A villager

Converted into a dumpyard and an illegal waste burning ground for chemical waste — brought from Rajasthan’s industrial town Bhiwadi — this village has, for 12 years, endured toxic air water and soil. Lit every night, the fire spread to the nearby forest area this time, forcing the residents to call the fire department, which doused the flames.

Lying in the backyard of Bhiwadi, the village has over 2,500 households. The residents allege that hundreds of tonnes of chemical waste is burnt daily. The panchayat has now approached the authorities to seek immediate resolution and has threatened to evacuate the village.

The Tribune had, on May 3, highlighted how hundreds of senior citizens and children were suffering from ophthalmic and pulmonary issues in the twin villages of Khori Khurd and Khori Kalan. Taking cognisance of the report, a local court had ordered medical camps at the villages and a Pollution Control Board team had conducted raids. The situation, however, did not improve. The residents claimed that the burning of waste returned within a day, and no camp was help at Khori Khurd.

“The air here smells of chemicals all the time. Every night, huge trucks bring barrels laced with chemicals and set them on fire. Sometimes, they arrive in the afternoon and we have to shut the school. We have begged every minister to look into it, but nobody cares. Rather than choke to death, we will burn down our houses and abandon the village. They can then burn the waste day and night,” said Usman Ali, a villager.

The villagers have been appealing to the NGT to take suo motu notice of the situation, highlighting how even the Aravallis were being affected and animals and birds were dying due to suffocation.