Gurgaon: Defunct Bandhwari waste treatment plant to resume operations within a week
The Bandhwari solid waste management plant, which has been lying defunct for last four years, is likely to be operational again within a week. The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram assured the National Green Tribunal on Monday that the decision on the allotment of tender has already been taken and operations at the waste treatment plant will start within a week.
The Bandhwari solid waste management plant, which has been lying defunct for last four years, is likely to be operational again within a week. The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram assured the National Green Tribunal on Monday that the decision on the allotment of tender has already been taken and operations at the waste treatment plant will start within a week.
The MCG is currently awaiting clearance on the tender allotment from Chandigarh and it should come through any day.
The tribunal was hearing a plea by environmentalists Vivek Kamboj and Amit Chaudhery seeking directions to relocate the Bandhwari waste treatment plant and landfill site away from the forest and Aravalli hills area.
In his submission to the court, the MCG representative said that all necessary work has been carried out by the agencies and tender will be allotted on Tuesday. “The waste to energy project is nearing completion and we are also working at the site to treat leachate through natural composting,” said V Umashankar, commissioner, MCG.
Next hearing in the case has been scheduled on April 27. The petitioner said that the plant is a source of contamination and should be removed from the eco-fragile area surrounding the Aravalli hills.
“The corporation has not resumed operations at the plant yet. The monsoon is due to arrive in months and once it sets in, leachate will start forming again and contaminate the ground. Though the NGT had been issuing directions to the MCG for two years to revive the defunct plant, the latter is yet to take the issue seriously,” Kamboj said.
Located on the Gurgaon-Faridabad Road, the Bandhwari plant has turned into a dumping ground for waste churned out daily by Gurgaon and Faridabad. While the 32-acre plant is capable of treating only about 600 tonnes of garbage every day, it receives nearly, 500 tonnes on a daily basis that remains untreated.
Last year, a report submitted to the NGT said that the plant was leading to contamination. On September 15, 2016, the Haryana State Pollution Control Board revealed that samples collected from the pond near the Bandhwari plant contained harmful chemicals and the water was not suitable for drinking. Concerned, the NGT directed the MCG to have the leachate removed.