NGOs protest move to set up waste dumping site in Aravallis
Faridabad, November 13
Environment activists and NGOs of the region are protesting against the reported move of the civic authorities to set up a new waste dumping site in the Aravalli forest zone in the district.
No space at bandhwari
We have come to know that as there is no space left at the old site of Bandhwari, the authorities have been directed to stop dumping waste there. Jitender Bhadana, founding member, Save Aravalli NGO
Alleging that the authorities, including the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad, were planning to shift the waste dumping site at a spot near Pali-Mohabattabad village, a spokesperson of ‘Save Aravalli’, an NGO, said it would result in violation of norms as it is a protected forest zone. “ They are now looking at old mining quarries spread over 200 acres for the new dumping site, which is a cause for concern,” said Jitender Bhadana, founding member of the NGO.
Alleging that the move would prove a death knell for the flora and fauna, he said besides taking up the matter at various platforms, they would also seek legal opinion, if required. Claiming that similar attempts had been made in the past also to dump waste in the region, Vivek Kamboj of ‘Hariyali’, another NGO based in Gurugram, said this had led to immense harm to the ecology, as is evident from the Bandhwari concept which has poisoned the underground water in the area.
Describing the reported move as a gross violation of forest norms, Ruchika Sethi of ‘Why Waste’, another NGO, said instead of taking up projects to dispose of the solid waste through scientific means at the local level, the authorities had failed to find a viable option. Claiming that the disposal of waste in the area would affect the natural recharging of water, social activists Sunil Harsana and Kailash Bidhuri said it would contaminate the groundwater and harm the environment.
With the present site at Bandhwari being unable to accommodate more waste, the company assigned with the task to manage the waste has been unable to install a ‘waste to power’ plant at the site due to space crunch.
