Heap of dry leaves on road in front of Radhika Apartments Sector 14
Dwarka: Dry leaves have become a nuisance for Dwarka residents these days. They can be seen everywhere throughout Dwarka including residential society premises, roads and by-lanes. On one hand, they are affecting the sanitation of the sub-city, and on the other, occupy street spaces. In the absence of a proper mechanism for the segregation and disposal of such leaves, workers of civic agencies and community members are facing difficulties in managing them.
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As gathered, the civic workers sweep the leaves and often throw them to the garbage dumping spots and dhalao, or on roadside or footpaths. However, given the strong summer afternoon winds, the leaves often get scattered and several times, fly back to the street. The ground staff involved in this work inform that to get rid of the leaves and under pressure from seniors in civic bodies such as DDA and SDMC or society RWAs, they have no option but to burn them.
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CitySpidey talked to the ground staff to understand the problem better. One of the staff on the condition of anonymity says, “We know that burning the leaves is against the code, yet there is no other option. We sweep the leaves and place them in one spot so that the vehicle of the corporation could lift them. But this should be done as soon as we sweep the leaves. If it is left for a few hours, the leaves scatter again. In case, any senior visits the area, they would think that we are not doing our job properly.”
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The burning of leaves is not only polluting the environment but also damaging the green trees. This has garnered discontent among nature lovers and residents of Dwarka. People are complaining that civic bodies such as SDMC and DDA have completely failed on this front. They say that neither the corporation nor the DDA has taken the subject seriously. The leaves which could be used as compost are being burnt and in the process, the environment is being polluted.
SN Sharma, a nature lover from Sector 10 says, “Burning of leaves shows the failure of South Delhi Municipal Corporation. They do not seem not bothered about the problem."
Diwan Singh, an environment activist from Sector 23 says, “There are heaps of leaves lying in Dwarka. No civic authority is taking care of this serious issue. Every day, leaves are being burnt across the Sub-city. This is a clear violation of NGT orders.”
Priya Tyagi, a resident of Sector 13 says, "Leaves are being allowed to accumulate along the streets. They could catch fire with as little as a cigarette butt thrown carelessly. This could damage hundreds of trees and cause immense pollution. This only shows the callous approach of the Corporation and DDA. They should lift the leaves on a daily basis and that too twice a day. Why do they have to dump them on the roadside?"
On the subject, officials of DDA and SDMC say that initiatives are being taken to manage the issue of dry leaves properly.
