No steps being taken for decontamination of ground water at Bandhwari dumping site: CPCB

Bhartesh Singh Thakur 

Tribune News Service 

Chandigarh, January 23

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has taken on local bodies of Gurugram and Faridabad over the Bandhwari dumpsite while pointing out that “steps for decontamination of ground water have not been taken”. 

The CPCB said that the dumpsite was still active due to “dumping of fresh waste at 2,000 TPD (ton per day) generating leachate” and “dumping of 33 lakh ton non-bio remediated waste”.

In its report dated January 13, submitted before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the CPCB says that “as informed, treatment and disposal of fresh MSW (Municipal Solid Waste) by Municipal Corporations of Gurugram and Faridabad at new identified sites at Farukkhnagar and Sihi could not be undertaken due to public protest” at these places. 

In the last hearing at the NGT on September 30, 2020, the CPCB was asked to present an independent report as on December 31, 2020 on the dumpsite, particularly with regard to ground water contamination and proper manifest system for the treatment of leachate.

The dumpsite is located near Gurugram but the waste from both Gurugram and Faridabad is dumped at the site.  

The CPCB had earlier inspected the dumpsite on September 18, 2020 and at that time, the height of the dumpsite was informed to be 36 metre and total dumped waste was 31 lakh ton.

“Presently, as informed, the highest point of dumpsite is 40 m and quantity of total waste dumped has increased to approximately 33 lakh ton as fresh waste at the rate of 2,000 TPD is still being dumped at the site and in its comparison less quantity of waste is being bio-mined,” the CPCB added.

Just 1.17 lakh ton (3.6 per cent) of legacy waste has been bio remediated till December 31, 2020 out of the total 33 lakh ton dumped, and approximately 66,982 ton bio remediated legacy waste has been processed through trommels in the last more than one year. Both the local bodies had claimed in their action plan that 17.5 lakh ton legacy waste would be bio remediated by September, 2020.   

“In December 2020, average quantity of bio mined waste per day was approximately 900 ton whereas installed capacity for bio mining is 2,700 TPD through nine trommels. The MCG (Municipal Corporation of Gurugram) is not able to utilise full installed capacity of trommels as disposal of screened fractions is a major issue being faced creating space constraint at site,” said the CPCB. 

The CPCB has informed the NGT that 350 KLD (Kilo Litres per Day) leachate was generated from dumped waste and was collected in seven ponds having total capacity of 36,000 KL and presently 20,800 KL leachate was filled in these ponds. The treatment of leachate is being carried out at the rate of 550 KLD with treatment plants.

Earlier, the action plan submitted by both the local bodies had listed new sites for dumping of fresh waste.

The NGT will next hear the matter on March 9. 

Meanwhile, Aravalli Bachao – a citizens’ group – will on Sunday protest against the proposed waste to energy plant coming up at the site. They are also demanding removal of the dumping site.