Citizens’ group ask for immediate steps to help locals living near Bandhwari landfill

Members of Citizens for Clean Air — a civil society group — wrote to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on Thursday, drawing attention to allegations of groundwater contamination in Bandhwari and nearby villages, about 20 kilometres outside the city

Members of Citizens for Clean Air — a civil society group — wrote to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on Thursday, drawing attention to allegations of groundwater contamination in Bandhwari and nearby villages, about 20 kilometres outside the city. They have requested that some “immediate steps” must be taken in the light of the public health concerns faced by villagers living in the vicinity of the Bandhwari landfill, which is alleged to have polluted the area’s underlying aquifer.

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“We have to consider the fact that these people were living in an otherwise clean area enjoying the serenity of a village. Their natural habitat got spoiled beyond recovery to accommodate the dirt of the city dwellers — the dumping of mixed solid municipal waste at the landfill site for the past several years. And their environment including their drinking water sources have been destroyed. Already there are reports of higher incidence of cancer and other ailments in these areas,” states the civil society group’s representation to the CPCB.

Until these issues are solved, it has been recommended that nearby villages be provided with “adequate supply of piped water of potable standard, as early as possible.”

CFCA’s representation also requests that “reports on the groundwater contamination in the area around the Bandhwari Village may be made public and the villagers should be made aware of its deleterious effects on people, domestic animals and their agricultural products so that they could adopt whatever methods possible to reduce these adverse effects.”

Shiv Das Meena, chairperson, CPCB — to whom the letter is addressed — could not be reached for comment despite multiple attempts. The letter has also been copied to S Narayan, member secretary, Haryana State Pollution Control Board(HSPCB), who did not respond to requests for comment on Friday.