Gurugram: Preliminary audit of daily municipal and solid waste management at Bhandwari landfill highlighted gaps in limited door-to-door collections, fresh waste treatment before being sent to the landfill, and slow remediation of legacy waste, Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) officials said on Thursday.
The findings come as two external agencies have been tasked with auditing the landfill to recommend measures for waste segregation at source and to improve collection and disposal practices, according to officials privy to the matter.
“The auditors recommended disposing of fresh waste at the source before it reaches the landfill. This practice adds to the already overburdened site — which receives around 1.66 million metric tonnes of unprocessed solid waste — and further reduces environmental safety,” a senior MCG official said, adding that the audit is being conducted under the supervision of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB).
According to the official, the auditors also recommended increasing the capacity of private vendors to handle door-to-door waste collection and expanding coverage beyond the existing 60-70% of the city. “It also noted increasing progress in the remediation of legacy waste at the Bandhwari landfill,” the official added.
Meanwhile, the civic body denied environmental damage and leachate overflow from the landfill to the nearby agricultural land in its status report submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday.
“The proposal to process fresh waste at the landfill is still being examined by the Haryana Urban Local Bodies (ULB) department. A tender was floated regarding this earlier in January, however, no bidder came forward,” another senior MCG official said, citing the affidavit.
Officials stated that a work order was issued last week following the auditors’ recommendation to expedite remediation of legacy waste at the landfill. Around 1,200 tonnes of solid waste reach the landfill every day from the city, they said, adding that around 3.366 million metric tonnes of legacy waste have been disposed of since January 2023. The civic body has set a target to process another 1.5 million metric tonnes of legacy waste at the landfill by January 2027.