Gurugram residents battle decade-old horticulture waste crisis

Residents allege that while policies exist on paper, lack of infrastructure and enforcement has left them vulnerable

Despite repeated assurances, Gurugram’s residential societies continue to grapple with unmanaged horticulture and biomass waste, with mounting piles threatening public health, triggering frequent fires, and adding to the city’s landfill burden. Residents allege that while policies exist on paper, lack of infrastructure and enforcement has left them vulnerable.

Garbage along the road in Gurugram Sector 50 on Monday. (HT Photo)

In Sector 50 and Nirvana Country’s Deerwood block, residents said they have faced illegal dumping of horticultural waste for years. “Our neighbourhood is turning into a health hazard. Piles of horticultural waste are being dumped right behind our homes, attracting mosquitoes and pests. My kids are falling sick frequently, and the stench from the nearby STP has made life unbearable,” said Usha Sharma, a resident.

Another resident, Anjali Rangwani, expressed shock that open dumping is permitted close to residential homes and markets. “It is perplexing how authorities can allow such hazardous conditions to persist in a premium township,” she said.

The crisis is not new. Civil society groups have flagged the issue since 2013. Ruchika Sethi Takkar, founder of Citizens for Clean Air, recalled how biomass waste from Nirvana was dumped and set on fire behind Espace, a practice she has documented for over 11 years. “Only dry leaves and thin branches can be composted easily. The rest of the horticultural waste piles up and is eventually burnt. Despite a 2015 directive by then Municipal Commissioner Vikas Gupta, asking RWAs to manage waste in situ, no integrated infrastructure was created to support the process,” she said.

On social media, residents have shared images of tractors ferrying horticulture waste from condominiums and dumping it in open spaces. “Tractors pick up horticulture waste from societies, dump it in open grounds within 1–2 km, and once the rains are over, the mounds are set on fire every 20 days,” said a civil society member. A firefighter, requesting anonymity, corroborated that they are routinely called to douse such blazes.

MCG is regularly penalising contractors and residents for dumping or burning waste in the open.

In 2022, residents of Nirvana Country’s Deerwood block discovered large quantities of horticultural waste buried in the ground. Such practices, they allege, have created breeding grounds for mosquitoes, worsening the city’s dengue burden. A recent case involved a resident’s mother-in-law who was hospitalised for dengue and required transfusions, underscoring the health risks.

However, RWAs pushed back against the allegations. Nilesh Tandon, president of Fresco Apartment RWA in Sector 50, said his society follows routine practices. “We are not dumping waste in the open. The horticulture waste generated is stored within our premises, inside the Fresco boundary wall, and is picked up thrice a week. This is routine practice. It is our land, and no illegal activity is being carried out. The waste has to be stored somewhere before it is taken away. The labourers have already started picking up. The contractors had issues with the labourers who had left the city,” he said.

Tandon added that the 17-acre society collects waste daily before contractors take it away. “We pay the contractor regularly, and they are doing their job. People make noise without even checking the facts,” he said.

Experts argue that the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) continues to spend crores on transporting waste to landfills and trommels and sending material to Sonipat, while neglecting decentralised solutions. “The biomass waste crisis was never sudden; it has been building for a decade because of ignored citizen representations and lack of accountability,” said Takkar.

Though MCG has announced fresh plans for green waste management, residents point out there is still no defined roadmap. In the meantime, they say they are forced to inhale smoke from fires, live amid foul odours, and face repeated mosquito-borne disease outbreaks.

In response, MCG officials said they will conduct a site inspection within 11 weeks.