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Impressions of the landfill visit
Classes 9, 10 and 11 went to see the landfill in Ghazipur, North Delhi on the 25th January 2011.
While we were still at school, we met our guide, who told us about what we were going to see and how to act. For our protection we received some facemasks. At this point we could not imagine, what it would be like.
The first thing we could see of the landfill were huge mountains of garbage. Seeing that was overwhelming and shocking. The second thing we noticed was the horrible smell of decomposition. After the initial introduction to our surroundings we followed our guide, Vim, up the hill. It was extremely dusty and you could feel the dirt on your skin. As we walked up it became more and more obvious that plastic does not decompose .
Due to the decomposition of various materials, highly toxic fluids are produced; these then seep into the ground water and the Yamuna River. We saw evidence of this.
Every five minutes a truck fully loaded with garbage, goes up the hill and releases its load. Seeing huge amounts of garbage being delivered so frequently, was very shocking.
We saw many animals live off the landfill - cows, dogs and large hawks as well as other kinds of birds.
Later, we were told that around 500-1000 rag-pickers work there each day. They are an important element in the recycling process of Delhi, saving the government millions of rupees without any public recognition. Their job is to sort out important materials, which are then sold to dealers.
Having been here, we will give more thought to waste disposal in our own lives.
It was an interesting and educational experience even though we would prefer not to do it again.
Tanja, Cheyenne and Ana, 25th January 2011
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Landfill Report
A landfill is the place where waste is deposited. In Delhi there are 14 landfills of which 3 are officially closed,
declared full. We visited one of the so called "closed sites" sites in Gazipur, Delhi on the 25.01.2011.
It was amazing to see how big the landfills were, and that they were declared closed but still so many people were working up there. First we looked at a small stream This is called leachate. which contained highly toxic water most toxic water because all the chemicals from the waste come together there. There were always new trucks coming, filled with waste.
On the top of one of the "landhills", many animals such as dogs, cows and birds, were living there, eating waste. The people who work on the landfill are called rag-pickers. They collect one specific type of reusable waste such as metal, foil, paper and then bring it to a dealer who will then recycle it. Apparently 500 to 1000 rag-pickers work on the landfill, of all different ages and genders. Most of them were from west Bengal, but would try and hide their nationality due to illegal immigration. They would earn about 100 rupees per day. The trucks drive up there 24 hours a day so they also work at night if the weather allows them to. They often get ill from the chemicals emitted by the rubbish tip. One rag picker said that there are doctors that they go to (but we are not sure that is true, or even if there are, they are unlikely to have enough money for treatment.)
The hills of rubbish were amazingly high and smelly, although though we had thought that it would smell worse. We became immune to the smell after a few minutes.
It has made us all think about the waste that we produce, and how we can think about using less and about how we should refuse packaging in the future.
Niamh, Elvira, Viola, Jana
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Report: New Delhi Landfills
On the 25 of January, we went to the Delhi landfill site in Gazipur. There we were to understand New Delhi's failing waste disposal system.
As we got out of the Bus, we were hit by a smell of rotting material, gas fumes, and fish. Even with mouth covering, we could smell the stink of the landfill. We started to walk up the long path towards the top of the "landfill Mountain", as a lot of trucks continuously drove by to drop garbage at the top. Down the side of the dirt path, a smaller bubbling stream of leachate was flowing down the hill. We could smell the toxicity of it. In that connection, we wondered where the stream ends.
At the top, we could see over a large proportion of the dusty city region. There were hundreds of birds, cows, and dogs that sat, slept, and ate on the landfill. Huge flocks of falcons circled the top, looking for food. At the bottom of the landfill, we saw a much larger stream of toxic leachate. Right next to the bubbling pool, there was a river, which seemed to be affected by the chemical wastes.
We continued to walk through the massive piles of dirt, stumbling across smaller dead rodents, and unrecognizable garbage. We saw hundreds of "rag pickers" working among the dirt and couldn't believe under what conditions they worked to barely make a small living. They picked up various recyclable materials with their bare hands and partially also walking barefoot.
Even though the situation was in fact extremely terrible, it definitely was worth it, experiencing the worst of Delhi and how the government fails to dispose of their wastes and how it affects Delhi's natural environment. With several thousand tons of waste coming in Delhi, sooner or later, it will have a massive impact on Delhi as the density will have increased so much, that there is no more space to dispose of the garbage.
Robin, Johannes, Jonathan, Kai and Philipp
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