Amidst the ongoing public interest litigations, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has mandated its Registry to capture the Daddu Majra garbage dump still site’s snapshot instantly.
Chief Justice ‘Sheel Nagu’ along with Justice ‘Sudhir Singh’ asked the registry to supplement the existing footage with updated stills capturing the waste’s condition at the site. The case, which was filed in 2016 and 2021, has been pending for a while due to the threat the sitting landfill poses to the environment and the health of the population of more than 50,000 people living in the vicinity.
When the matter was scheduled for a hearing on January 19, 2023, the petitioners once again produced drone shots. They tried to address the other discrepancies in the assertions made by the Municipal Corporation regarding the dominance of the MCD over waste management at the site. MC’s representative Advocate Gaurav Mohunta, appearing on behalf of the MC, stated that the corporation has not permitted any unused unprocessed waste to be added to the dump. It was being cleared at a particular pace. He stated that almost 2.25 lakh metric tonnes of waste had piled, but were expected to be removed by May this year.
Petitioner-advocate Amit Sharma, however, showed drone footage showing leachate flowing around and even on the ‘restored’ site dump, which was purportedly removed in 2022. Sharma further remarked that the MC’s allegation that no new waste has been added since 2018 is countered by the fact that a third garbage mound has emerged. Further discrepancies were also detected in the latest affidavit filed by the MC. This reportedly contained waste of 1.75 lakh tonnes, whereas later UT counsel changed the figure to 2.25 lakh tonnes.
Sharma similarly claimed that the MC provided false affidavits, including a DPR with more than 150 handwritten changes that he said were meant to alter financial estimates worth crores. He said that these irregularities as well as the conspiracy to transfer the case to NGT on multiple occasions were intended to conceal the truth from the court. This was intended to impede justice.
Chandigarh’s Growing Concern: The Garbage Dumping Site at Daddu Majra
The garbage dumping site in Daddumajra, Chandigarh has become one of the major hotspots of pollution for residents of the area. Waste generated from different parts of the city is dumped at this site. This has become one of the biggest waste disposal sites in Chandigarh, located near the city borders. Its impact on the environment is questioned due to the massive amount of solid waste it has accumulated.
Environmental consequences
The quantity of garbage disposed of at the Daddu Majra location has significantly increased over time and contributed to environmental pollution. The region has now become a pollution hotspot for air, water and soil. This is due to the growth of non-degradable products, plastic waste, and waste left untreated in various areas of the city. Waste composed of organic materials and organic matter when decomposed emits toxic gases such as methane which add to the greenhouse effect on the planet.
Few measures taken by the Chandigarh Municipal Council to address the issue
The escalating concerns at the Daddumajra dumping site have become apparent to the Chandigarh Administration. There have been several talks and plans over the years put on the table to help deal with the environmental issues that come with the site. They include:
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Recycle: For waste recycling and disposal, the implementation of waste segregation at the household level is to be put in place.
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Waste to energy projects: There have been some studies looking to turn waste into energy through biogas plants or incineration.
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Waste management: The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has developed a more comprehensive waste management scheme encompassing enhanced collection, transport and disposal systems.
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