Bandhwari landfill: Citizens allege leachate spill, officials say it is rainwater

Taking note of the situation, officials from the regional office of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) will conduct an inspection on Wednesday

Following rainfall over the past two weeks, leachate from the Bandhwari landfill has spilt onto Aravalli land and formed a pond on the rear side of the site, city-based environmentalists alleged. However, officials denied that it was leachate and said that it was contaminated rainwater, with an inspection scheduled for Wednesday in this regard.

Citizens alleged damage to Aravalli forest due to leachate spill.

Vaishali Chandra, a city-based environmentalist who visited the site on Tuesday, said that leachate was spilling out, with streams flowing into the adjacent forest area and towards Bandhwari village.

“Once again leachate water is being discharged from Bandhwari landfill into the surrounding Aravalli forests, harming both the wildlife and life of local villagers. So much leachate is being discharged that a pondage has formed near the landfill. Streams carrying this dirty water was flowing at least 200-300 metres inside the forest area,” said Chandra.

Officials of Ecogreen Energy, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram’s concessionaire for waste management at Bandhwari landfill, denied the allegation and said that it was dirty water.

Sanjeev Sharma, the spokesperson for Ecogreen Energy, said, “There was no leachate spill from the landfill on Tuesday. There was contaminated water (rainwater mixed with fresh waste) that accumulated on the ground, but no leachate. As the city received heavy rain in the past few days, it is that very water which is flowing out from the waste.”

Meanwhile, taking note of the situation, officials from the regional office of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) said that they will conduct an inspection on Wednesday.

Kuldeep Singh, regional officer for Gurugram North, HSPCB, said, “We have received a complaint regarding spilling of leachate from the landfill and a team will visit the site on Wednesday morning for an inspection. After the inspection, necessary action will be taken.”

The Bandhwari landfill receives around 2,000 tonnes of waste every day from Gurugram and Faridabad. Municipal solid waste from both these cities is being dumped at the site since 2015. As per a report by the Central Pollution Control Board submitted to the National Green Tribunal in September 2020, approximately 3.1 million tonnes of waste is dumped at the site.