Posted on 12/22/2016 11:39:03 AM PST by Gamecock
will be penalised if they empty toilet tanks during flight, the green panel ordered on Tuesday.
National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the country’s aviation regulator - Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) - to issue instructions to all airlines, whose planes are involved, to pay Rs 50,000 as environmental compensation.
The NGT bench chaired by Swatanter Kumar passed a slew of directions to be followed by airlines while hearing a plea of a retired army officer, who claimed the terrace of his house in south Delhi’s Vasant Enclave is being repeatedly spattered with excreta falling from aeroplanes.
“DGCA shall also issue directions that aircraft on landing shall be subjected to surprise inspection to see that human waste tanks are not empty. If any aircraft is found to be violating such circular or (their) tanks are found empty on landing, they shall be subjected to environment compensation of Rs 50,000 per default,” the bench said.
The direction came on the plea of Lt Gen (Retd) Satwant Singh Dahiya who had sought action against airlines and levy of hefty fines on them for endangering the health of residents, terming their act as violation of the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’.
“For over a week now, we found that walls and floors of our terrace are splattered with large patches of excreta dumped by aircraft flying in front of Palam airport at night. The last time it happened early in October, we had to spend Rs 50,000 to get the exterior painted,” Dahiya had stated in his plea.
Earlier, the green panel had asked the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), to send a senior environmental engineer to inspect the petitioner’s house and if human excreta was found on its walls, sample should be collected for analysis and the report placed before the tribunal.
The CPCB, after analysing the samples taken from the petitioner’s house had stated that, ‘it was indeed excreta, but its source is not known’.
While issuing directions, the green panel expressed surprise over the CPCB report, saying, “We are surprised to note the stand of CPCB to the extent of coliform and the kind of splashes created on the houses of the petitioner as well as others clearly demonstrate that it was human excreta.”
Earlier the NGT had slapped a fine of Rs 5,000 on the environment ministry and the ministry of civil aviation for failing to file inspection report on the plea.
During the hearing, the DGCA told the bench it will investigate the matter.
In his petition, Vasant Enclave resident Dahiya had sought creation of a 24-hour helpline for immediate reporting of such incidents and a monitoring mechanism to check that no aircraft drops “human soil or excreta” while landing.
The Ministry had opposed the argument and said plane toilets stored the waste in special tanks which are normally disposed of by ground crews once the plane lands. However, aviation officials acknowledge that lavatory leaks can occur in the air at times.
The green panel added that the amount collected as fine from airlines shall be used for environment protection and a quarterly report shall also be submitted by DGCA before it.
50,000 Rupees!?!
That’s like $736!
Wonder how much it costs the airlines to have the toilets pumped out at the airport?
I think that’s really sh*tty of the airlines
So they are making a rule forbidding throwing mooselimbs out the air lock during a flight?? That’s just not right.
Have they though, calculated the reduction in carbon footprint due to the fact that when they let the poo go it lightens the plane thereby reducing fuel consumption?
I think this decision was rashly made without do consideration of the overall health of the planet.
In a country where 300,000,000 have to poop in the street, I don’t think planes dumping human waste is all that big of a problem.
Over India? Who they hell is going to know?
“Bombs Away!!”
Why don’t the pilots just wait until they’re over Pakistan?
This is nonsense. there is no way for aircraft to jettison the contents of a toilet in flight. Air crews must hook up to a valve while the plane is being serviced.
If it happened once I would have asked why they kicked Obama out of that airplane.
Wonder how much it costs the airlines to have the toilets pumped out at the airport?
Only an underpaid airline employee with a honey wagon.
In another lifetime I emptied the aircraft on arrival as well as loaded baggage and freight so I have a wee bit of knowledge in this matter. There is no way for a pilot to jettison the toilet holding tanks in flight or on the ground for that matter. I submit the protesting hombre from his private enclave is experiencing something else entirely.
I wonder if Indian trains still empty their toilet contents on the tracks?
Back in the early 70s West German trains did so.
It's true!
Airline toilets use blue water for their flush procedures. The blue water and the waste are then stored in a tank exposed to the frigid outside air until they form a large blue mass, which insiders call a "BM".
At some point, the pilot will dump the waste to save weight, which saves fuel and thus money. Evaporative cooling on the way down removes a little more heat, and the BM freezes shortly after release, posing a serious threat to anyone or anything in its path.
And that's the real reason why the US Air Force has radar networks monitoring the threat from "Icy BMs"
I clicked on this article just to read the comments.........
What are they planning to do with the hundreds of millions of people in India crapping on the ground? A little hypocritical if you ask me, given the reality.
“Back in the early 70s West German trains did so.”
Most of the trains in Europe still just have toilets with pipes dumping right out on the tracks each time used...
Thus there are signs on trains, USE TOILETS ON TRAINS WHILE IN THE STATION.
My son did when we were in a train station in Germany and when the train pulled out there was a pile of crap and paper on the tracks in the station.... That was 2006. I imagine they have not changed much since then.
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