The national capital, Delhi, stands among the top three states with most contaminated sites, states a report published by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
According to data released by the CPCB, Delhi stands third on the list.
Odisha tops the list with 23 contaminated zones, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 21 and Delhi with 11.
Currently, there are 112 sites in the country that are contaminate by toxic and hazardous substances. As per the CPCB, more than 168 sites may be contaminated but these sites require official investigation for final confirmation.
What Are Contaminated Sites?
A report by the Union Environment Ministry suggests that ‘contaminated sites’ are delineated areas in which the “constituents and characteristics of the toxic and hazardous substances, caused by humans, exist at levels and in conditions which pose existing or imminent threats to human health and the environment".
Contaminated sites may include land which is used for manufacturing of pesticides, production of gas, sites used for production of petroleum and for mining etc.
Bhalswa and Ghazipur landfill sites, industrial areas at Jhilmil, Wazirpur, New Friends Colony, Dilshad Garden, and Lawrence Road are among the 11 contaminated sites in Delhi, reported news agency PTI.
12 ‘Probably Contaminated Sites’ in Delhi
In addition to these, there are 12 ‘probably contaminated sites’ in the national capital.
‘Probably contaminated sites’ are areas which have a probable presence of contaminants or chemical substances potentially harmful to human beings.
Remediation Work Begins
Following the directions from the National Green Tribunal, remediation work has commenced to clean as many as 14 hazardous sites across seven states in the country.
These states include Gujarat, Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh.
Remediation involves removal of pollutants to reverse the environmental damage from a contaminated area.
(With inputs from PTI)
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