Residents fear another Ghazipur at Gurgaon waste site
DANGER LURKS Despite being closed after a fire in 2013, tonnes of waste are dumped daily at the now defunct waste plant
GURGAON: Day after a mountain of trash collapsed at Delhi’s landfill site at Ghazipur, killing two, residents of Gurgaon and Faridabad voiced alarm over the hazards posed by the defunct Bandhwari waste treatment plant which they claimed is already starting to take its toll in the area.
Residents of Ghata, Gwal Pahari and Pali villages alleged that toxic gases emitted by the Bhandhwari plant is polluting the air and water in the area, thereby, affecting their health.
The plant shut after a fire and though it has been defunct since, tonnes of waste from across the city are dumped at the site every day, driving pollution fears. Though nearby residents have been living in fear of implications of the defunct plant for the last four years, the Ghazipur incident has stoked fresh concern.
“We are suffering, as every day, more than 1,000 tonnes of waste is being dumped at the site and is not processed. The stench from the garbage pile fills the air and drives pollution levels as well. Many villagers are already suffering from respiratory diseases and many more are at risk of falling ill,” Sushil Bhadana, a resident of Pali village, Faridabad, said.
On Saturday, Hindustan Times visited the site and found a waste pile standing 60ft tall and posing a threat to the eco-sensitive Aravalli region. Anyone motoring on the Gurgaon-Faridabad Expressway has to drive past the defunct plant and suffer the nauseating stench. The plant was set up in 2007 and went into operation in 2008. It shut down after a fire broke out in 2013.
Mohit Singh, a resident of Mohabatabad village in Faridabad, said, “People living in nearby villages have even stopped accepting marriage proposals from Bandhwari fearing health hazards. Leachate from the waste treatment plant has contaminated the groundwater.”
Prakash Singh of Gwal Pahari said, “The government is not showing any interest in resolving our issues. They are waiting for a disaster to happen. This area is a critical groundwater zone and any contamination will soon impact Gurgaon and Delhi. We had moved the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on the issue of groundwater contamination because of the plant, but we are yet to see any action.”