NGT flags violation of norms at Bandhwari landfill

A joint inspection ordered by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has revealed alarming violation of environmental norms at Gurugram’s Bandhwari landfill, including uncontrolled leachate discharge into surrounding forest areas and the risk of it seeping into villages and agricultural fields.

The inspection, carried out on September 17, revealed that uncontrolled leachate from the towering mounds of mixed municipal waste at the site was spilling beyond the landfill. The untreated liquid waste was found seeping into nearby plantation areas through makeshift drains and channels, where it collected in stagnant pools.

The report stated, “Leachate overflowing from the on-site ponds and nearby areas is carried through temporary kutcha drains and channelised via a concrete pipe…routed through kutcha drains into the plantation/forest area, where it stagnates and collects in the form of a pond.”

While inspectors did not find leachate on roads or in the village during their visit, they warned that “overflow from the plantation/forest area to nearby village cannot be ruled out during heavy rains.” The committee also observed that “garland drains for leachate collection had not been provided around the landfill”.

Three leachate ponds at the site, meant for storage, were found to be without impervious lining, raising the risk of groundwater contamination. The report noted, “No arrangements for treatment of leachate existed at the site,” and that instead of being properly treated, leachate was being released into manholes leading to public sewers without testing, in violation of the Environmental Protection Rules.

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) had earlier claimed the landfill generates about 200 Kilo Litres per Day (KLD) of leachate, but data from the Behrampur sewage treatment plant showed only 125.2 KLD was received in June 2025. This discrepancy has raised concerns about large volumes of leachate being unaccounted for.

The Haryana State Pollution Control Board also reported that an environmental compensation of Rs 6.3 crore had been imposed on the MCG between April 2020 and June 2025. Of this, only Rs 2.8 crore has been deposited, leaving Rs 3.5 crore unpaid.

Directing the state government and the MCG to act urgently, the NGT ordered them to file compliance affidavits within four weeks and verify complaints that leachate had entered farmlands, affecting soil fertility. The Bench, headed by Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Dr A Senthil Vel, warned of immediate remedial action if violations continued.