Residents, Faridabad civic body at loggerheads over dumping of processed waste in the open

Bijendra Ahlawat

Faridabad, June 17

The dumping of processed waste from the Bandhwari landfill site in open spaces of the city has resulted in a controversy, with residents claiming that this may lead to pollution.

Officials claim that the process of clearing or processing accumulated waste at the landfill has been in compliance with the directions of the NGT.

However, protests have erupted since the authorities concerned started the work of clearing mounds of waste at the landfill located on the Faridabad-Gurugram highway, according to the sources in the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad.

Complaints about foul smell emanating from the waste that is dumped in the neighbourhood have surfaced from various localities, said an MC employee on condition of anonymity.

He said while the authorities claim that hundreds of truckloads of the landfill waste was processed, it has been dumped in open plots and pits in both urban and rural localities. Several educational institutions have also complained about the same, he added.

This hasn’t been received well by residents, who claim that it has resulted in pollution and must be stopped immediately.

“I am writing to bring to your attention the issue of illegal disposal of waste, containing substantial quantities of plastic items,” read a letter written by Jitender Bhadana of the NGO, Save Aravali, to the authorities, including the state government. Bhadana alleged that the civic agencies had colluded with the contractors and some residents were lured to allow dumping of waste on their empty plots/private land in return for money or rent.

Alleging that hundreds of tonnes of waste was being dumped in the forest area of the Aravallis, it is stated that the seepage of plastic-laced waste into soil and water bodies posed a significant threat to public health and environment, Bhadana said.

Of the 900 tonnes of waste generated daily, nearly two-thirds of trash was being dumped at the Bandhwari landfill. Of the four processing plants proposed to be set up locally, two of these set up at Mujheri and Pratapgarh villages have got functional with a total capacity of about 300 tonnes.

The civic body has released tenders to hire contractors for waste collection and disposal after the termination of the contract with a private firm due to ‘poor work’.

MC Executive Engineer Padam Bhushan said while the waste removed from the landfill site was mainly compost, the Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) removed from the waste was being diverted for use in industrial furnaces, cement plants and paper mills. He added that this waste had been found to be “non-polluting” in the laboratory test.

‘Risk to Aravallis’

• Many residents have submitted complaints about foul smell emanating from the waste dumped in their areas.
• It is also alleged that hundreds of tonnes of waste was being dumped in the forest area of the Aravallis.
• The seepage of plastic-laced waste into soil and water bodies can pose a significant threat to public health and environment.
• Besides, some residents were lured to allow dumping of waste on their empty plots/private land in return for money or rent.

While the waste removed from the landfill site was mainly compost, the Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) removed from the waste was being diverted for use in industrial furnaces, cement plants and paper mills. This waste had been found to be ‘non-polluting’ in the laboratory test. — Padam Bhushan , MC Executive Engineer