2015 Image From Delhi’s Geeta Colony Shared as Recent One

An old image of garbage dumped near Geeta Colony has been revived on social media to share the findings of CPCB.

As Delhi stands among the top three states with the most contaminated sites, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, an old 2015 image of garbage dumped near Geeta Colony in New Delhi has been revived on social media.

CLAIM

The image was shared with findings of the CPCB data, and one of the tweet read: “Congratulations Arvind kejriwal ji !!! Delhi stands third on the list of States and Union territories with the most contaminated sites, according to the Central Pollution Control Board data. (sic)”

Twitter user, ‘Megh Updates’ had garnered over 6,000 likes at the time of writing this article.

WHAT WE FOUND OUT

A reverse image search led us to an article on the Hindustan Times, dated 9 August 2015. The image’s caption stated that it showed the ‘heaps of garbage’ near Geeta Colony, and it was captured by photographer Arun Sharma.

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 that pose existing or imminent threat to human health and the environment".

According to the CPCB, Delhi has 11 contaminated sites and 12 probable contaminated sites. However, Geeta Colony does not feature on either of the lists.

While the image is old, the garbage near Geeta Colony has been a long-standing issue.

In 2019, CPCB had identified the area as one of the hotspots for open dumping of construction and demolition waste, according to a report by the Times of India. A recent strike by sanitation workers demanding to be paid their salaries also led to piling up of garbage on the main road in Geeta Colony.

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