‘Treated’ Bandhwari waste left in the open to be tested in labs

Bijendra Ahlawat

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Faridabad, July 27

The stiff opposition to the working of the civic authorities for the removal and disposal of the semi-treated civic waste from the Bandhwari landfill site has made the district authorities agree for a laboratory test of the waste. This is in the wake of the allegations of the polluting nature of the dumped material.

As the process of clearing the accumulated waste of the landfill site located on the Faridabad-Gurugram highway is on, sources in the civic body claim that the majority of the 35 lakh tonnes of waste accumulated in the form of a mountain has been removed.

The National Green Tribunal had ordered the clearance of the waste from the site. However, the protest against the dumping of this waste openly in adjoining residential pockets and forest areas had forced the authorities to set up a committee to look into the problem, according to sources in the district administration. The committee that carried out a survey of some of the spots had decided to get the samples of the waste tested, though the officials of the Municipal Corporation Faridabad (MCF) had been claiming that the waste was non-toxic and compost in nature.

“While complaints have been raised in the past six months, the problem remains a cause of concern as the menace fails to come to an end,” said social activist Jitender Bhadana. “Dumping of the waste containing plastic and other toxic substances has still been going on in localities like Sainik Colony, Dabua Colony, Pali village, Bhankri village and forest areas,” he alleged. He claimed that the waste was being crushed or grounded to give it a look of compost or inert material, but had been toxic due to having plastic and other components. No testing has been done so far, it was added.

With over 70 per cent of around 900 tonnes of daily waste churned out in the city still being dumped at Bandhwari, the process of clearing the waste is not likely to be over soon, according to sources.

It was alleged that tonnes of waste had been discarded in various parts of the district, posing a threat to the environment and public health.

Though the MCF had announced the project of setting up four waste processing plants, two units made operational at Mujeri and Pratapgarh villages have a treatment capacity of less than 300 tonnes daily. The disposal is done through private contractors by the civic body.

Padam Bhushan, executive engineer, MCF, reiterated that the waste removed from the landfill site was mainly compost in nature. Additional Deputy Commissioner Dr Anand Sharma said a sample of the waste will be lifted for testing in the laboratory soon, to ascertain if it was harmful or not.