MCG yet to find Bandhwari landfill alternative despite NGT deadline

Fresh tenders to transport garbage to the landfill indicate the existing arrangement will continue as officials await approvals for a new site.

Nearly four weeks after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) to submit a time-bound roadmap for ending fresh dumping at the Bandhwari landfill, the civic body is yet to identify an alternate site for disposal of the city’s daily municipal waste.

Civic officials say multiple locations are under review, with Baliawas emerging as the frontrunner, but no final decision has been taken. (HT Archive)

The delay comes even as MCG has floated fresh tenders across all eight municipal zones to transport municipal solid waste from secondary collection points to the Bandhwari landfill, indicating the existing arrangement will continue until an alternative disposal mechanism is in place, officials added.

While hearing a batch of petitions on July 7, the tribunal expressed concern over continued fresh dumping despite ongoing biomining of legacy waste. It directed MCG to submit, by August 4, a roadmap with timelines for stopping fresh dumping, identifying an alternate disposal site and completing landfill remediation.

In its July 6 status report, MCG said it was exploring alternate locations while continuing biomining and remediation. However, officials said no site has been finalised.

MCG joint commissioner Preetpal Singh said identifying an alternate site requires suitable government land, environmental clearances and approvals from multiple departments. “The exercise is still underway. A final decision has not been taken yet. There is a minor delay in the process, but we will finalise it soon,” he told HT.

Singh added, “While the tendering process is on, MCG is trying to finalise the site as soon as possible, and the transporters will likely start dumping the fresh waste at the new site by the time the tender is awarded.”

Officials said preparations at the new site would be expedited and completed within a week once it is finalised. Explaining the delay, MCG officials said the process has taken longer than expected as multiple sites are being examined to ensure the selected location does not trigger environmental concerns or public opposition. They said identifying a suitable site has been challenging because of locals opposing a waste disposal facility in their area’s vicinity, while forest and environmentally sensitive areas also have to be avoided. The civic body said it is carrying out careful inspections to ensure the chosen site does not lead to future problems.

Officials said, as of now, Baliawas remains the frontrunner among the locations being considered for the alternate waste disposal site, officials said. The MCG said the primary criterion is that the site should be located away from residential areas and ecologically sensitive zones to minimise environmental and public health concerns. However, officials did not specify any additional technical parameters, such as the minimum land area required. They added that the final site will require approvals from multiple authorities, including the forest department, Haryana State Pollution Control Board and the deputy commissioner, before it can be notified for use.

MCG has not sought additional time from the NGT so far. Officials said the civic body still expects to finalise the alternate site before the next hearing. However, if the process is not completed by then, MCG is likely to seek additional time from the tribunal during the August 19 hearing to complete the site selection and related approvals.

Petitioners have also flagged the continued transportation of fresh waste to Bandhwari before the NGT. In an additional affidavit, they argued that ongoing dumping defeats the purpose of biomining as fresh waste continues to accumulate while legacy waste is processed. The affidavit also raised concerns over leachate management and pollution in the ecologically sensitive Aravalli region.

The Bandhwari landfill, which serves Gurugram and Faridabad, has remained under NGT scrutiny for years over environmental violations and delays in scientific waste management. While Faridabad has diverted fresh waste to alternate facilities, Gurugram continues to rely on Bandhwari for nearly all its daily municipal waste. The NGT had earlier imposed environmental compensation of around ₹7 crore on MCG for excessive dumping that led to pollution in and around the landfill site.

The tribunal will hear the matter again on August 19, when MCG is expected to apprise the court of progress on the roadmap and the proposed timeline for ending fresh dumping.