Environmentalists decry debris dumping in Aravallis, authorities set to crack down

Environmentalists are up in arms over illegal dumping of construction and demolition (C&D) waste in the Aravallis, at Ghata. Gurugram deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav said that the issue has come to their notice and they will form teams to inspect the same

Gurugram

Waste dumping in Aravallis. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Environmentalists are up in arms over illegal dumping of construction and demolition (C&D) waste in the Aravallis, at Ghata, claiming severe ecological damage and demanding prompt action by the authorities to clear the same. They blamed the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) for allegedly allowing waste dumping and “destroying” a 1,400-square metre area under Killa no. 92 that falls under “gair mumkin pahar (cultivable land for plantation)”.

Gurugram-based environmental activist Vaishali Rana on Thursday wrote to deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav, urging immediate action to restore the damaged land. The letter highlighted previous efforts to reclaim the area, including a forest report dated April 29, 2020, and a chief forest conservator (south) report dated December 10, 2020, both of which failed to yield results.

Rana said that the area in question at present was previously encroached upon in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic. Following complaints, the land was reclaimed with the intervention of higher authorities from Panchkula.

Gurugram deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav said that the issue has come to their notice and they will form teams to inspect the same. “We will ensure the private agencies (enlisted to clear C&D waste) are actively removing the C&D waste from Aravallis and roadsides,” he said.

Meanwhile, the MCG said three agencies are tasked with clearing debris dumped on roadsides and vacant plots, designating a 2-acre site in Baliawas for the same. But, local resistance has hindered progress, officials said, adding the agency plans to enforce site clearance and cover it with mild steel sheets for effective containment.

MCG commissioner Narhari Singh Bangar, said that they have registered two cases against illegal vendors for dumping C&D waste on roadsides. “Vendors dumping on roadsides do not belong to private agencies and MCG. They are operating illegally; they charge house owners and dump it on road to save transport costs,” he said.

There are five designated sites for dumping C&D waste, at Babupur, Basai, Baliawas, Daultabad and Sector 29, but waste processing is only going on at a C&D waste processing unit in Basai, with dumping on hold at other sites due to public resistance. Even then, the plant in Basai is underutilised, sources said, as the plant is only allowed to process 300 metric tonnes of waste daily, against a capacity of 1,800 metric tonnes per day, collected from within a 15-kilometre radius.

The city has been grappling with C&D waste management for years, as debris is dumped on roads, empty plots, and footpaths along the Southern Peripheral Road, Faridabad Road, Rajesh Pilot Marg and in new Gurugram.

“While there are plans to expand the Basai plant’s capacity and establish new district-wise processing plants, bureaucratic delays have stalled these initiatives. A proposal to increase the Basai plant’s capacity to 1,000 metric tonnes has been pending in Chandigarh for six months. Despite these challenges, there is hope that the city will have effective C&D waste management systems in place within the next six months,” Kusum Sharma, a social activist, said.

Ruchika Sethi Takkar, a member of Citizens For Clean and Why Waste Your Waste, a citizen’s collective for sustainable and healthy environment, said indiscriminate dumping of debris has exacerbated health woes due to year-round dust pollution.

“This is nothing short of a health hazard. We urge the authorities to immediately implement the C&D Waste Management Rules, 2016, which emphasise on ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ of this waste stream and integrate and formalise the workings of the local transporters rendering door-to-door collection services. MCG should also encourage builders to recycle and utilise waste generated to reduce the load on public spaces by incentivising reduction of C&D waste,” Takkar said.