Gurugram: Waste processing halts at Bandhwari landfill amid admin delays

Operations at Bandhwari landfill have been halted for over a month due to contract delays, raising environmental concerns from residents and experts.

Operations at the Bandhwari landfill, which handles solid waste from Gurugram and Faridabad, have been suspended for over a month due to delays in finalising new contracts, officials said. The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) confirmed that the private agencies managing the facility ceased operations after their contracts expired in November.

The Bandhwari landfill on the Gurugram-Faridabad road on Monday. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Officials said there was a gap between the expiration of contracts and the initiation of new tenders due to the approval at the urban local body level, which did not give an extension and called for fresh tenders.

MCG commissioner Ashok Kumar Garg said, “The work will resume within a week once we receive approval from the Urban Local Bodies (ULB) Department. Collection of waste across the city has not been disrupted, but processing is on hold temporarily.” The ULB department is currently reviewing tenders to hire three new agencies for waste processing, with ₹132 crore allocated for their engagement, MCG officials added.

The Bandhwari landfill, which processes around 2,000 metric tonnes of waste daily and has accumulated 2.5 million metric tonnes of legacy waste, has created a 30-metre-high mound, locals alleged. The halt in processing has aggravated environmental concerns, with residents complaining of worsening conditions.

“The foul smell from the landfill is unbearable, especially in the mornings. It’s impossible to open windows or sit outside without being overwhelmed by the stench,” said Suman Harsana, a resident of Gwal Pahari. Arvind Sharma, another nearby resident, described the odour as “a constant disturbance.” He added, “The authorities must take immediate action. This problem has persisted for years, and the current halt in operations is only making it worse.”

Environmental experts, meanwhile, have also criticised the situation. “Delays in renewing tenders and resuming operations at the Bandhwari landfill reflect poor planning and governance,” said Gurugram-based environmentalist Vaishali Rana. “Such lapses exacerbate environmental hazards, impacting both public health and ecological balance in the region.”

Similarly, Gurugram-based conservationist conservationist Sunil Harsana warned of serious repercussions, stating, “With fresh waste being dumped daily and no processing in place, the accumulation will worsen. The leachate generated will flow uncontrollably, posing a severe threat to groundwater and nearby ecosystems.”

In response to these concerns, the MCG has announced plans to process 500,000 metric tonnes of waste daily once operations resume. The corporation is also introducing new measures to enhance monitoring, including installing 13 CCTV cameras for real-time tracking and monthly drone surveys to assess legacy waste and private agency activities.

Despite the suspension, some progress has been made in reducing the landfill’s size. “We are parallelly processing legacy and fresh waste. Some areas have seen the height of the waste reduced by two to three meters,” Garg said. The landfill spans 28.5 acres, with 10 acres allocated for a waste-to-energy plant, which currently is not operational.