NEWS

The Times of India, New Delhi, Mar, 2017 : The Central Pollution Control Board has closed the recommended gap between waste-to-energy incineration power plants and residential areas from the 300-500 metres specified in the solid-waste management manual of the centre's Swachh Bharat Mission to 30-100 metres in its draft guidelines. This has upset experts and alarmed citizens about the possible impact of pollution and toxic residues. Scarcity of land for buffer zones led CPCB to reconsider the current norms. "Giving the buffer zone area around the core facility will be a challenge as land is not available and mostly encroachment has taken place in many places around landfill sites," says the guideline document, adding, "...in most towns no land is available for treating solid waste, neither as landfill sites nor for disposal through other techniques..." Ironically, the same document cites the examples of countries like China, which prescribes a 300-metre buffer, and Malaysia, 350 metres.

Read More: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/waste-plants-30-100m-from-houses-fine/articleshow/57483372.cms