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Time of India
4 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Golf Course Road testing ground for state's 1st plastic-free urban stretch
Gurgaon: Starting with Golf Course Road, Haryana's pollution control board HSPCB will start handing out eco-friendly items to residents and businesses to help the city eliminate single-use plastics. HSPCB officials told TOI they will launch the initiative from the Golf Course Road and cover a radius of one kilometre in the first week of Aug. The drive will include commercial buildings, residential societies, schools and roadside vendors. The idea is simple, officials said, eliminate single-use plastic from one of the city's most prominent stretches and set a precedent for sustainable urban lifestyle. You Can Also Check: Gurgaon AQI | Weather in Gurgaon | Bank Holidays in Gurgaon | Public Holidays in Gurgaon Instead of taking penal action for flouting the ban on single-use plastics, the board is opting for a transition phase that gives people time and tools to adapt. Over the next three months, HSPCB teams will provide paper, cloth and biodegradable alternatives of single-use plastics to residents and businesses. A buffer stock of biodegradable materials is being built to support the change. "We want this to be real, not symbolic. It's not enough to ban plastic; we need to make sure people have substitutes before we ask them to stop using it," said Akanksha Tanwar, HSPCB regional officer, Gurgaon. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Gentle Japanese hair growth method for men and women's scalp Hair's Rich Learn More Undo This preparation period, officials believe, will reduce resistance and confusion when enforcement begins. HSPCB is also working with resident welfare associations (RWAs) to drive awareness campaigns. Engagement with vendors and shopkeepers, often the biggest users of disposable plastic, is part of the strategy too. "If this pilot on Golf Course Road works, the model will be gradually expanded to other parts of the district. The idea is to treat this stretch as a testing ground for how to go plastic-free in a real-world setting," Tanwar said. Around 14% of all plastic waste generated in the state ends up in landfills, according to an annual report published by HSPCB last year. The state recycles approximately 78% of its plastic waste, the report said, but it also pointed out an alarming rise in plastic waste generation – a 38% increase from 129,866.7 tonnes in 2022-23 to 179,406.5 tonnes the next fiscal year. This is despite the ban on single-use plastics (SUPs) imposed nationwide from July 1, 2022. Single-use plastics include plastic bags, straws, cutlery, plates, food and beverage containers, coffee cups and lids, drink stirrers, cigarette butts, balloons and balloon sticks, wrappers, wet wipes, and most plastic packaging designed to be used once and discarded. According to the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), plastic packaging that is not covered under the ban and is abundantly used to pack processed food items contributes to 60% of the waste generated. Data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) says the world produces over 300 million metric tonnes (MT) of plastic every year. Of this, 14 million MT ends up in the ocean. It estimates that India generates 3.5 million metric tonnes of plastic waste annually, or around 9,500 MT daily, and the country's waste generation has doubled over the past five years. "While the intent behind India's plastic ban has been commendable, enforcement has largely fallen short due to inadequate alternatives, patchy monitoring and a lack of coordinated waste management. That said, I am cautiously optimistic about the focused approach being tried on Golf Course Road. If authorities ensure genuine availability of eco-friendly substitutes and involve communities actively, this pilot could set a practical example for other regions to follow," said Shubhansh Tiwari, a research associate at CSE.
Time of India
25-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Not just miners, industrial waste is laying siege to Aravalis along Haryana-Rajasthan border
Gurgaon: Two chemical waste burners were found deep into the forest in Nuh's Khori Kalan along the Haryana-Rajasthan border this week, indicating that illegal mining wasn't the only threat to the ecologically sensitive Aravalis in the region. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) got a tip-off from locals about industrial waste being burnt in the open in Khori Kalan village. A team went to the site and saw two large cauldrons were being used to set afire toxic chemical waste in the woods. HSPCB officials told TOI on Wednesday that these makeshift burners were dismantled, but they suspect that the forested border region, among the few preserves of green left in the Aravalis, are increasingly becoming dumping grounds for industrial waste transported from across state lines. "Waste may be transported from industrial hubs in Rajasthan's Bhiwadi, Khush Khera and Dharuhera," said Akanksha Tanwar, HSPCB regional officer (Nuh). HSPCB on June 17 wrote to the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board about industrial waste burning by factories in Bhiwadi. "We have written to RSPCB regarding the issue and to ensure that the industries do not dump and burn chemical waste in the Aravalis," Tanwar said. The hills along the Haryana-Rajasthan border are already under the Supreme Court's scanner for illegal mining. With enforcement in this rocky terrain particularly tricky, officials and environmentalists said the region is already under duress. "Illegal burning of industrial waste in forest land not only violates pollution norms but also endangers the entire ecosystem," the HSPCB regional officer added. "This is not an isolated incident. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The Aravalis are fast becoming an unofficial dumping ground. Burning industrial waste releases toxic pollutants into the air, contributing to environmental degradation and posing serious health risks to nearby communities. Authorities from both states must coordinate better and increase surveillance," said Vaishali Rana, a Gurgaon-based activist. Khori Kalan villagers, too, said they have been raising an alarm about billowing smoke and pungent odour emanating from the forest area. "Waste is brought from the across the border and illegally burnt in our village. This has been going on for years. Cattle in our village have been dying from drinking wastewater that flows out of chemical residues and villagers have been suffering from skin diseases and breathing ailments. These units are still operational," said Shabad, a resident of Khori Kalan. Reports of industrial waste being discharged into the Aravalis of Nuh go back almost a decade. HSPCB, in 2016, issued closure notices to several units operating in the area. A similar order was issued in 2023. TOI, in Dec 2022, also reported about waste burning units like these operating in Khori Kalan. And last year, Nuh resident Usman Khan filed a public interest litigation (PIL) before the Punjab and Haryana high court, giving a detailed account of how a broader operation for illegal industrial waste dumping was going on in the hills. According to the PIL, these makeshift units -- scattered across Khori Kala, Khori Khurd and Khori Kalan villages of Nuh – routinely get plastic and metal drums filled with chemical waste, scrap and rubber. This waste is manually segregated and then burnt in large cauldrons using kerosene or similar fuels. Other than toxic fumes, this process generates a charred, semi-solid residue locally called "gulla", which is then sold onwards as fuel to industries, the PIL alleged. The petition is pending before the HC. Activists said waste dumping and mining were a double whammy to the Aravalis of the region. "Each time a hill is blasted, we lose not just a physical structure but also the ecosystem it supports. The Aravalis are living systems. They are home to wildlife corridors, and they are groundwater recharge zones and climate regulators. Illegal mining and unchecked dumping and burning of industrial waste has poisoned the air and soil. Together, these practices are pushing one of India's oldest mountain ecosystems toward irreversible collapse," said Sunil Harsana, an ecologist. The Supreme Court is currently hearing a case on unauthorised construction of roads to facilitate transportation of illegally quarried stones from Haryana's Nuh to Rajasthan, where there is no ban on mining the Aravalis.
