Panchkula: Jhuriwala site not suitable for waste facility, says NGT panel

Tribune News Service

Bhartesh Singh Thakur
Panchkula, November 14

The Joint Committee, constituted by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in a case related to the unscientific dumping of waste at Jhuriwala in Panchkula, has stated the site is “not suitable for the establishment of municipal solid waste facility (MSWF)”.

The panel — comprising the Regional Officer, Panchkula, Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB); Divisional Forest Officer, Forest Department; and Deputy Commissioner, Panchkula — in its submission before the NGT said: “The area of the site also receives natural water channels from nearby undulating watershed having rich forests of the wildlife sanctuary. It will be in the fitness of things to find a suitable site that can be located taking resort to cluster approach for setting up a solid waste management plant in consonance with the latest order of the Supreme Court passed on June 3, 2022, regarding the minimum distance required from all protected areas and ESZ (eco-sensitive zone) for any such establishment.”

Damning report

• The NGT’s joint panel, in its report, says a natural drain passes through the site and civic waste is being dumped into it
• Leachate coming out of the site is mixing with stormwater of the drain and leading to the Ghaggar, it says
• The MC is found using site for unscientific dumping of waste without proper clearance from pollution control board

After reviews and site visits, the panel of officers concluded the Municipal Corporation, Panchkula, and Municipal Council, Kalka, committed violations of environmental laws and caused significant loss to the environment.

“Thus remedial and preventive action to restore the damage caused to the environment at the site and surroundings has to be undertaken by them on top priority and action should be taken by the district administration, HSPCB and ULBD (Urban Local Bodies Department) to ensure further dumping, causing further damage to the environment, is stopped immediately,” said the panel.

Take remedial action

Remedial action to restore damage to environment at site and surroundings has to be undertaken… Further damage needs to be stopped immediately, — Joint Committee report

The NGT had formed the Joint Committee in 2021. In its November 13 report, it was pointed out the Panchkula MC was found using the Jhuriwala site for unscientific dumping of waste without getting an extension of consent to establish (CTE) or without obtaining consent to operate (CTO) and authorisation from the HSPCB. The unscientific dumping of waste violated the Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules.

A natural drain was passing through the site and the municipal solid waste was being dumped into the drain. “It was observed the leachate coming out of the site is mixing with the stormwater of the natural drain and leading to the Ghaggar,” said the report.

The laboratory testing of samples of water “revealed the concentration of various general parameters in the contaminated water in the natural drain passing through the site is much higher in comparison to water flowing in the drain upstream of the site, indicating the absence of leachate management”. The report mentioned that the Regional Officer, HSPCB, had initiated prosecution against the Panchkula MC and Kalka MC for violations at Jhuriwala.

The HSPCB also imposed the environmental compensation of Rs 30 lakh for the period from July 10, 2021, to December 31, 2021, for discharging leachate into the Ghaggar.

On April 24, the HSPCB had directed the urban local bodies of Panchkula and Kalka to not dump or process any kind of fresh solid waste at the Jhuriwala site till they obtained all necessary clearances from the departments concerned and established necessary infrastructure. It also directed it to identify another landfill site.

Vide another letter on August 17, it recommended imposition of environmental compensation for the entire period from July 1, 2021, to July 31, 2022, for illegal and unscientific disposal of waste.

Protesters evicted, dumping resumes

Panchkula: Hours after protesting residents were forcefully evicted from the dharna site at the Jhuriwala dumping ground late on Sunday, the Panchkula Municipal Corporation resumed dumping of garbage at the site on Monday. The police used a water cannon and uprooted tents. The residents had been protesting for the past three days, preventing vehicles from dumping garbage collected from the city. P2

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