‘Lapses in landfill management’: NGT wants agencies fined in Haryanas

Gurgaon: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed HSPCB to impose environmental compensation (EC) for fire incidents at landfill sites. These fires, often resulting from lapses in effective landfill management, cause significant environmental damage.
The member secretary of HSPCB was tasked with thoroughly investigating this matter and reaching a conclusion within three months. This direction came when the tribunal was reviewing affidavits from CPCB, HSPCB and MCG on fires broke out at Bandhwari landfill site.
"The HSPCB member secretary will duly examine this issue and reach an appropriate conclusion within three months and will submit the report before the registrar general of the tribunal immediately after three months. If found necessary, the matter will be listed for consideration before the bench," the order, delivered by chairperson Prakash Shrivastava and expert member A Senthil Vel, said.
The tribunal took suo-motu action based on a TOI report revealing a massive fire incident at Bandhwari landfill. TOI had highlighted that it was the fourth fire incident reported at Bandhwari landfill in April and that a thick haze engulfed the villages around Bandhwari due to the fire incident.
Such fire incidents at landfill sites are a threat to biodiversity and pose a danger to the health of citizens.
During its Dec 16 hearing, the tribunal found that CPCB, in its affidavit, said the Bandhwari landfill site i has been a focal point of environmental concern. Operational for the past 13 years, initially, it had a waste volume of 44 lakh metric tonnes (MT) with a height of 41 meters, spread over about 30 acres.
Currently, the height has reduced to 19 meters, with a total waste volume of 14 lakh MT. The site receives solid waste from both Gurgaon and Faridabad, contributing a combined total of 1,778 tons per day.
"Despite efforts to manage the waste through bio-mining, which began in Sept 2020, only 20% of the land has been reclaimed. The waste composition at the site includes 50% inert materials, 25% organic compostable matter, 15% RDF (primarily plastics), and 5% each of C&D debris and other miscellaneous materials," the CPCB said.
The situation is further complicated by frequent fire incidents.
Between April and Oct 2024, nine fire incidents were reported at the Bandhwari landfill. According to HSPCB, these fires are primarily caused by "hot spots" created during bioremediation, where increased oxygen and bacterial activity raise temperatures, leading to fires when they come into contact with methane pockets.
Sunlight reflecting off metal and glass in the waste also contributes to these fires.
To address these issues, several measures have been proposed and implemented.
The commission for air quality management recommended 24x7 monitoring, installation of CCTVs, physical fencing, and the prohibition of unauthorised access to the site.
Additionally, the HSPCB outlined remedial actions such as identifying and excavating hot spots, ensuring round-the-clock availability of fire tenders, and compacting waste to reduce air and methane pockets. Despite these efforts, the recurring fires indicate lapses in the management of the landfill.
The MCG claims that steps in terms of the CPCB guidelines dated May 16, 2022, were taken, yet fire incidents continue to occur. The tribunal directed the MCG to take prompt action to ensure compliance with CPCB guidelines.