Expedite fresh, legacy waste remediation, NGT tells Haryana

Mukesh Tandon

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Panipat, January 18

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the state authorities to expedite remediation of fresh and legacy waste in the state and to ensure that there is no gap in generation and processing of waste.

In compliance with the NGT’s order passed on May 9 last year, Arun Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Urban Local Bodies Department (ULBD), filed a status report about fresh and legacy waste management on January 13.

In the report, the ACS said as per the earlier assessment, legacy waste in the municipalities in the state was approximately 71.68 lakh MT, but after reassessing it on the directions of the NGT, it came out to be approximately 101 lakh MT, because of variation in density and depth of the legacy waste.

Considering the status report filed by the ACS, ULBD, the Principal Bench headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goyal, in its order, said there was a gap in generation and processing of fresh waste apart from processing of legacy waste as per the Solid Waste Management Rules-2016 (SWM rules). Since statutory timelines have already expired, environmental compensation may have to be levied at the rate of Rs 300 MT of legacy waste in compliance of the rules on February 9, when the Chief Secretary, Haryana is to appear, the order reads.

Meanwhile, the state authorities would take further remedial measures to ensure that there is no gap in generation and processing of fresh waste, and remediation of legacy waste is expedited by preponing proposed dates, the Bench said.

Notably, the work of remediation of legacy waste at 40 sites having 94.68 lakh MT legacy waste, including 40.50 lakh MT at Bandhwari, Gurugram, is being carried out in the state. Approximately 31.90 lakh MT waste has been processed and the remaining waste is likely to be completed by December.

Generation of fresh waste in 39 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), where remediation work is in progress, is approximately 2,642.4 tonne per day. Of this, approximately 2,146 tonne per day is being processed and remaining is being dumped at dumping sites.

The ULBs have selected concessionaires for integrated solid waste management (ISWM) cluster of Bhiwani-Sirsa and Karnal-Kaithal-Kurukshetra. These have to manage collection, segregation, transportation and processing of waste of municipalities for a period of 22 years.

The likely date to achieve 100 per cent processing of waste in clusters in Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri, Rania, Ellenabad, Kalanwali, Kaithal, Kalayat and Cheeka is June 30. For remaining municipalities, the process to fix the agencies is underway. Besides, the municipalities have also been directed to use 30 per cent area of the land reclaimed through remediation of legacy waste for forestation.

2,642.4 tonne fresh waste generated per day

• Generation of fresh waste in 39 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), where remediation work is in progress, is approximately 2,642.4 tonne per day
• Of this, approximately 2,146 tonne per day is being processed, and remaining is being dumped at dumping sites