The National Green Tribunal had asked DGCA to issue circular to airlines warning them against emptying their toilet tanks midair. (Photo: Pexels) (Photo for representational purpose)

If you are someone who was ever hit by poop dropped from an aircraft, or if you are someone who worries that one day you may be hit by it, worry less. There is some good news in store for you, and everyone you know around.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has warned the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that the tribunal will stop his salary if he fails to ensure that all airlines stop emptying their toilet waste midair by August 31.

Apparently, the NGT is displeased with the DGCA for its failure in complying with its order that had asked DGCA to send circulars to all airlines operating from New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport.

The circular was supposed to warn the airlines against emptying their toilet tanks midair.

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A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel has taken strong objection to this. The bench told DGCA that despite the tribunal's specific order, DGCA failed to come up with any valid explanation for the delay nor has it complied with the order.

"Neither there is any valid explanation nor there is compliance by the DGCA. It is not disputed that the order is operative and has not been stayed in any proceedings," news agency PTI said in a report.

The bench said that since the DGCA has repeatedly defied its order and has not come up with any acceptable explanation, the bench has no option but to direct DGCA to comply with the directions on or before August 31.

The tribunal has warned that if there is "continued defiance" it may have to consider prosecuting the director general on September 17, the next date of hearing.

During the hearing, the DGCA told the bench that the order has not been complied till date because a review petition against the NGT's order was pending adjudication.

ALSO READ | Human waste from sky: NGT directs DGCA to issue circular

The DGCA had sought stay and review of NGT's December 20, 2016 and the January 10 order of the tribunal claiming that it was impossible to dump human waste midair from aircraft toilet.

STORY BEHIND THE CASE

On October 2016, a Delhi resident, Lt Gen (retd) Satwant Singh Dahiya, filed a case alleging that houses in his neighbourhood were damaged by human waste dumped by airlines from planes at night.

Dahiya had moved the NGT alleging that human wastes were splattered from aircraft on his South Delhi house before Diwali in 2016. Following this, the tribunal on December 20, 2016 directed the DGCA to issue a circular to all airlines to pay Rs 50,000 as environmental compensation if their planes are found dumping waste midair.

TOILET TANKS CAN'T BE EMPTIED MIDAIR, CLAIMS DGCA

The petition referred to the findings of the expert committee, constituted by NGT, and said there is no switch or system available in the aircraft to dispose waste in flight.

"The aircraft system has three level of in-built external protection for disposing the waste and under no circumstance release of waste during flight is possible and there has been no such resort ever by the operators."

"The modern day airline toilets are sealed and cannot be emptied in flight and toilet waste can only be disposed of by manual operation on ground during its servicing," the DGCA had said.

The tribunal had earlier constituted committee comprising representatives from the DGCA, Central Avian Research Institute and CPCB to collect samples from the house of Dahiya.

Aviation regulator DGCA had maintained that it was impossible to dump human waste midair from aircraft toilet, and bird droppings had landed on the complainant's house, after which the green panel had ordered testing of the excreta samples.

ALSO READ | DGCA moves NGT, says impossible to dump poop mid-air

The CPCB had said that there were traces of faecal coliform in the samples, indicating presence of human waste.

Rs 50,000 FINE FOR VIOLATION

The tribunal had in 2016 held that if "any aircraft, airlines and the handling services of registered aircraft" were found to be dumping human waste from air or toilet tanks were found to have been emptied before landing, they shall be subjected to environmental compensation of Rs 50,000 per case of default.

The NGT had also asked the DGCA to carry out surprise inspection of aircraft landing at the airport to check that their toilet tanks are not empty while landing and prevent waste from being splashed over residential areas and any other place before landing.

(With inputs from PTI)