Gurgaon, July 5, 2024 – The Aravali mountain range, a vital ecological zone in Haryana, is facing severe environmental threats due to illegal garbage dumping in its waterbodies. The forest department has raised alarms and demanded immediate action after finding significant waste pollution in areas near the Bandhwari landfill.
Investigation and Findings
Following a report by the Times of India on June 28, which highlighted the illegal dumping of garbage and compost into waterbodies and along the Gurgaon-Faridabad Road, a forest department team inspected the site on June 30. The inspection revealed that garbage was floating in the protected Aravalis, a clear violation of environmental norms.
Gurgaon divisional forest officer Rajeev Tejyan stated, “Our team found garbage strewn in areas outside the landfill. But MCG has claimed it is dumping garbage on land owned by the civic body. We have asked the civic body to submit the land record so that we are clear about the ground situation before initiating any action.”
Legal and Environmental Implications
The Aravali land near Bandhwari is protected under Section 4 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), which mandates the forest department’s approval for any non-forest activities. Dumping garbage in these areas is illegal and poses a significant threat to the environment.
Ecologist and wildlife expert Sunil Harsana, a resident of Mangar, asserted that compost mounds have been spotted along the Gurgaon-Faridabad Road in the Aravalis. “This land does not belong to the civic body,” he claimed, emphasizing the illegal nature of the dumping activities.
Impact on Local Ecosystem
The Bandhwari landfill receives approximately 1,200 metric tonnes (MT) of waste daily from Gurgaon and an additional 1,000 MT from Faridabad. Between June 1 and 25, Gurgaon dumped 16,745 MT of garbage, and Faridabad added another 8,293 MT. In May alone, 52,699 MT was dumped at the site, including 32,335 MT from Gurgaon and 20,364 MT from Faridabad.
A recent survey by the forest department revealed that solid waste from the landfill was obstructing a revenue rasta—a road used for water filling and patrolling in the Aravalis. This obstruction prevents vehicles from accessing the forest for essential tasks. Moreover, leachate from the landfill has been contaminating groundwater and collecting in depressions within the forest, posing a severe threat to wildlife.
Calls for Action
The state wildlife department is considering withdrawing the no-objection certificate (NOC) issued for a waste treatment plant at Bandhwari, granted to allow the plant to operate without adversely impacting the Aravalis.
The forest department’s demand for a land demarcation report from the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) is a crucial step toward resolving the issue. Immediate and stringent actions are necessary to protect the Aravalis from further environmental degradation and ensure compliance with legal and environmental regulations.
For more updates on this critical environmental issue, stay tuned to Sarhind Times.
+ There are no comments
Add yours