Gurugram: The long-delayed issue of waste management at the Bandhwari landfill is finally progressing with the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) reporting a significant increase in the pace of waste disposal there. MCG officials on Friday said that multiple agencies are now working in close coordination to effectively tackle the waste accumulated over the years and will complete the task before December this year. The renewed effort follows repeated interventions by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which had criticised the slow progress at the site in the past.
The Bandhwari landfill, which spans 30.5 acres, has been a major concern for the city, with 9.72 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste as of August 9. The landfill continued to receive approximately 2 lakh metric tonnes of fresh waste until July 2024. However, this year, intensive efforts to process this waste has been made by municipal staff.
Between January and July 2024, 9.57 lakh metric tonnes of waste were processed, reducing the total waste at the site. MCG officials have set a deadline of December 31, 2024, for the complete processing of the remaining waste, said officials.
MCG commissioner Narhari Singh Bangar said that in May they had processed 8,000 metric tonnes of waste and four private agencies had completed their task and left the site. “We will engage two more agencies and our prime concern is to complete processing waste at the site by December so that we can handover the site to NTPC for a charcoal plant,” he said.
Kusum Sharma, a resident of Suncity Township in Sector 54, said that it is high time that the waste at the Bandhwari landfill is processed completely. “We are waiting for NTPC to take over the site so that fresh waste is not dumped at different places and is used for the plant. We need to ensure that the waste is not just disposed of, but also managed in a way that prevents future accumulation. The authorities need to stay vigilant,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}Kusum Sharma, a resident of Suncity Township in Sector 54, said that it is high time that the waste at the Bandhwari landfill is processed completely. “We are waiting for NTPC to take over the site so that fresh waste is not dumped at different places and is used for the plant. We need to ensure that the waste is not just disposed of, but also managed in a way that prevents future accumulation. The authorities need to stay vigilant,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}Amit Jindal, president of Vipul Greens RWA, said that there is need for permanent solutions. “The accelerated pace of waste disposal is a positive step, but we must not lose sight of the bigger picture. We need long-term strategies to prevent the landfill from becoming a problem again. The city should also focus on improving waste segregation and recycling at the source,” he said.
MCG officials said there has been a difference in waste processing between 2023 and 2024. “In the entire year of 2023, only 16 lakh metric tonnes of waste were processed. In contrast, the first half of 2024 alone has seen the processing of 15 lakh metric tonnes. This accelerated pace is attributed to the collaborative efforts of the agencies involved and the use of advanced waste processing techniques,” said Bangar.
MCG has outlined several key initiatives for the Bandhwari site. Once the entire landfill is cleared by the end of December 2024, the land will be handed over to NTPC. Additionally, the MCG plans to float tenders for the appointment of a new agency responsible for door-to-door waste collection and processing for the next five years. The processing of fresh waste generated from January 2025 to December 2026 will continue at the existing facility in Bandhwari.
The MCG also plans to erect a Waste Processing Plant (Torrefied Charcoal) in Faridabad with a capacity of 1,200 tonnes per day (TPD) and another in Gurugram with a capacity of 1,500 TPD. These plants, to be established by NVVN, are expected to be operational by October 30, 2026.