Ghazipur’s waste diverted to fuel M’nagar paper mills? Locals say villages stink, fear health risks

Agra: Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) has issued show-cause notices to six paper mills over allegations that large quantities of waste from Delhi’s Ghazipur landfill -- often locally known as “garbage mountain” -- had been transported and burned in 21 mills in UP’s Muzaffarnagar, raising concerns of serious environmental hazards among residents and local activists.Notably, 35 paper mills are currently operating in Muzaffarnagar, and officials after taking note of complaints of “stink and pollution” have sought explanations from most of them.Pankaj Agarwal, state president of UP Paper Mill Association, admitted that over 20 mills are using the waste material, but maintained that it was being processed into refuse-derived fuel (RDF) before combustion, which is a permitted practice.“We treat municipal waste before burning it. There are treatment mechanisms in paper mills that convert it into RDF. It produces less pollution than coal. It is an environmentally friendly fuel which we put in the units’ boilers. We also have online pollution monitoring systems, and a record of the air pollution is regularly sent to the UPPCB.”However, local RTI activist Sumit Malik disputed this claim. Mills were directly burning the unprocessed garbage under the guise of RDF usage, he claimed, adding, “Over 100 trucks loaded with waste from Delhi are coming here regularly.

The garbage contains hazardous plastic and rubber, posing serious health risks. Repeated complaints to authorities in both Muzaffarnagar and Lucknow have been largely ignored.

”Malik further claimed that he has been continuously raising similar complaints related to pollution for years. He said, “During 2024-25, paper mill owners obtained permission from the Pollution Control Board in Lucknow to burn RDF.

But this practice is being misused... As a result, residents in rural areas of the district are facing health issues such as cancer, asthma, respiratory problems and eye irritation.

”Notably, Muzaffarnagar officially comes under the NCR region, where RDF burning is restricted. “Hence, continued burning of RDF here raises a lot of questions,” he said.Meanwhile, regional officer of UPPCB in Muzaffarnagar, Gitesh Chandra, told TOI, “We are working continuously on such complaints. As many as six paper mills were given show-cause notices in this regard.”Notably, some farmer groups were also opposing the burning of Delhi’s waste in Muzaffarnagar’s paper mills. On March 19, activists of a farm organisation stopped a large truck on Bhopa Road. It was carrying waste from Delhi.Towering over the surrounding area, the Ghazipur landfill receives thousands of tonnes of waste daily, leading to pollution, frequent fires and health concerns for nearby residents. In Jan 2025, the Supreme Court pulled up the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for failing to comply with its directions on solid waste management, highlighting that around 3,000 tonnes of untreated waste was being dumped every day.