At 1,236 tonnes per day (TPD), Gurugram and Faridabad together produce the largest quantity of solid waste in the state, according to the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB). This is twice as much as the Ambala-Karnal cluster, which generates about 605 TPD, and almost thrice as much as the Sonepat-Panipat cluster, which generates about 435 TPD. There are 12 other clusters, of which Rohtak generates 425 TPD, while the remaining clusters each generate less than 300 TPD of waste.
This is according to the HSPCB’s annual report on solid waste management for the year 2018-19, which also states that of the total solid waste generated in Haryana (4,635.79 TPD), only 17.5% (815.93 TPD) is successfully treated and recycled, while about 78% (3,614.32 TPD) is sent to landfills. The remaining 4.5% is not collected. Besides, source segregation of waste has been achieved only in 288 of 1,496 wards in the state, even though door-to-door waste collection has been achieved in about 1,210 wards.
Issued on July 18, a copy of the HSPCB’s annual report was accessed by the Hindustan Times this week. The report identifies 65 major dumpsites across the state, of which none have yet been successfully reclaimed or turned into sanitary landfills. Of these, 26 are full-fledged landfills, while Bandhwari, which receives close to 1,200 tonnes of waste from Gurugram and Faridabad each day, is the largest such landfill in Haryana.
The report also shows that there is little monitoring of the environment around these landfill sites. While groundwater samples have been tested at just four major sites in Gurugram-Faridabad, Panchkula, Ambala, and Karnal, no regular monitoring of ambient air quality and leachate quality is being undertaken at any of the dumpsites, the report reveals.
S Narayan, member secretary, HSPCB, said, “The quantum of waste being generated by the clusters is expected to increase in the next few years. The point of the report is to assess the treatment and recycling capability. There are 84 urban local bodies in the state which have to implement localised action plans for waste management. The plans have been submitted, but their targets in most cases have lapsed. They need to act more swiftly on the ground.”
According to a 2017 report by the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (then HUDA), the total quantum of waste generated across the state is likely to reach close to 7,000 tonnes per day by 2035. Of this, Gurugram and Faridabad are expected to contribute about 4,000 TPD—that will be more than half of the solid waste generated across Haryana.
Acknowledging Haryana’s ‘urban challenge’ in waste management, the report states, “Only two urban local bodies (ULBs) account for a population of more than 1 million, while 18 account for a population of more than 1 lakh. The rest account for a population of less than 1 lakh. The major chunk of ULBs is municipalities at the nagar panchayat level. With fast-paced urbanisation, the issue of scientific disposal/treatment of waste has become a major cause of concern.”
To offset this, the state government is relying on establishing four waste-to-energy (WTE) plants in Haryana’s most polluting clusters, Gurugram-Faridabad, Sonepat-Panipat, Rohtak and Ambala, where refuse-derived-fuel (RDF) from the other 10 clusters will be used to generate electricity. However, the report also reveals that of these, work has only commenced in two clusters, i.e. Gurugram and Sonepat. None of the four proposed WTE sites have been built, while only three of the ten proposed RDF facilities are operational. “However, we have a lot of local composting units, which are successfully managing organic waste,” Narayanan said. Of the 26 composting units that have been planned across the state, 24 are already operational.
Amit Khatri, deputy commissioner, Gurugram, did not respond to requests for comment.
