HSPCB to retest Bandhwari leachate samples after concerns arise over new test results

The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) will conduct a second laboratory test to gauge the “safety” of leachate at the Bandhwari landfill, about 20kms

The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) will conduct a second laboratory test to gauge the “safety” of leachate at the Bandhwari landfill, about 20kms from Gurugram, after several experts and activists found holes in the first test report.

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Following complaints from city resident Vaishali Rana Chandra, an activist who has been tracking developments at the landfill, the HSPCB on July 13 inspected the landfill and collected three samples from a leachate pond for chemical analysis.

The report, which Hindustan Times reviewed, found no presence of heavy metals in the water. It also stated that the samples’ pH levels (that measures acidity) , and biological oxygen demand (measure of oxygen consumed by microorganisms as they decompose organic waste), were within the limits prescribed by the central pollution control board’s solid waste management rules.

Dr Rekha Singh, an approved environment expert from the Quality Council of India under the ministry of environment, forest and climate change, said, “The results seem highly unlikely for a leachate sample taken from a landfill. Going by the report, which shows desirable acidity and oxygen demand, the water may even be fit for drinking. This definitely raises some questions as to the integrity of the report, as most samples taken from the field -- even in natural water bodies -- show higher pH levels and presence of contaminants.”

In 2015, as part of an independent assessment by local environmentalists, Singh had analysed leachate samples from the landfill. Her report stated that contamination from the leachate has rendered high amounts of fluoride, phenolic compounds, cadmium and mercury in the groundwater.

On July 9, HT had reported that residents of Bandhwari and Mangar villages near the landfill had complained of large amounts of leachate run-off after rain over the previous two days. The “leachate problem” at Bandhwari is alleged to have caused severe degradation of the water table in the region and posed a risk to the health of local residents. The issue of landfill run-off in the area has persisted for close to a decade, and routinely worsens during the monsoon, experts and local activists said.

Dr Vinod Kumar Mogha, an independent expert with over a decade long experience in material sciences and laboratory testing, said the report does not, as per national accreditation board for testing and calibration laboratories (NABL) guidelines, provide any confirmatory statements about the quality of the water. “Why was the test carried out? What was the HSPCB trying to establish? Any lab test is done with a certain aim, and reports must mandatorily summarise their findings. This report does not explain the import of the test results, as it should have,” he said.

Kuldeep Singh, regional officer, HSPCB, said, “We have taken note of the concerns raised. We will carry out another test by taking samples in the presence of locals, and will send them to two or three different labs for analysis before comparing reports. We will take further action based on the results.”