peak seven years after the closure of a dumping ground experts point out that the malad experience should serve as an eyeopener to authorities who have time and again flouted the central governments municipal solid waste rules which states that no human settlement should be allowed on a dumping ground for at least 15 years after its closure a spokesperson for ivory properties however insisted that the closure was done as per the broad norms prescribed under the municipal solid wastes rules the environmental monitoring done from 2003 to date indicate that the process of degradation of biological material is taking place the spokesperson said as a result these gases are released in the air from the crevices in the ground said dr amiya sahu vice president of nswai adding that these emissions peak during the summer the ground located on a marshy land had received over 1000 tonnes of the citys garbage daily for three decades prior to this even the silver at home would blacken very fast the study is corroborated by many residents officegoers and technicians in the area a superficial garden on top of the mounds of untreated waste doesnt stop the leachate black toxic fluid from contaminating the ground water and they have reasons to justify their fears we refuse to take up annual maintenance contract for any offices in mindspace he added the decision to let ivory properties take care of the dumps closure was taken five years ago we are not aware what authorities had decided back then another person who has his office at mindspace but did not wish to be named said that damage to the electrical earthing is common in cases where earthing is less than 10 feet deep in the garbage layered soil following a petition the supreme court in 2002 had ordered the closure of bmcs 19hectare dumping ground at malad but this is enough to corrode the silver and copper components in the computers said dr sahu r r markandeya chief engineer of bmcs solid waste management department agreed that the closure of the malad dump was unscientific there would often be a layer of black soot over all such appliances she said