SC orders CPCB probe into Adampur dump fire, seeks report in six weeks

Bhopal: Taking serious note of the April 22 fire at Adampur dumping ground here and its potential impact on groundwater, air and public health in nearby villages, the Supreme Court has directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to investigate the cause of the blaze, assess the environmental damage, and identify those responsible. The court has given CPCB six weeks to submit its report.

The apex court also asked for free medical check up of people living in seven villages in the proximity of the waste disposal site and provision of medical aid, if anyone is found suffering from any disease.

Environmental activist Subhash C Pandey had moved an application in the Supreme Court following the fire incident seeking an urgent hearing into the case. He said the horrible fire at the dump site lasted for several days and impacted the environment and health of people in the 7 villages in the vicinity of the site, where more than 10,000 people live and people at Bhopal in general.

The court, which is already hearing an appeal filed by Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) against National Green Tribunal (NGT) order imposing a penalty of Rs 1.80 crore on the BMC for flouting the Solid Waste Disposal Rules-2016, took up Pandey's application for hearing on Thursday, and asked to implead CPCB as a respondent in the BMC's petition and asked the environment watchdog to probe the reason of fire a Adampur dump site, its impact on environment in the areas in proximity to the site.

The court gave the CPCB six weeks time to present a report in the matter and then, there will be a hearing on Pandey's application on July 25, ahead of scheduled hearing on the BMC's appeal against the NGT order on Aug 11. It was on Pandey's petition following a similar fire that the NGT had imposed a whopping fine of Rs 1.80 crore on the BMC for violation of Solid Waste Disposal Rules-2016.

Pandey, who is respondent no. 1 in the BMC's appeal in the supreme court, told TOI that the apex court has refused to entertain any of the arguments on behalf of the BMC, and said pictures of the fire were enough to show that there was a 'hill of waste' at the dump site and if the Solid Waste Disposal Rules- 2016 would have been in operation at the dump site, this huge pile of unsegregated solid waste would not have been there.

During hearing of the BMC's petition, the apex court had in an earlier order in July, 2024, had asked National Environment Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur, to send its team to the dump site to examine whether the Solid Waste Disposal Rules are being followed there. The NEERI in its report to the supreme court in the hearing before April's fire at the site had said that BMC was more or less complying with the Solid Waste Disposal Rules-2016.

On the request of advocate Harshwardhan Pandey, who appeared in the case for Subhash Pandey, the court further directed secretary of Bhopal Legal Aid Authority to coordinate with the health department and arrange for free health check up for residents of 7 villages situated in the vicinity of Adampur dump site as they are having health problems due to 'unscientific' disposal of solid waste and incidents like fire in which unsegregated waste gets burnt and pollute the groundwater and atmosphere, which ultimately has an adverse impact on the health of the people.

The apex court also said if anyone was found ill or suffering from any disease, he should be provided medical aid.