Dumping ground contaminating soil, groundwater in Haridwar
HARIDWAR: Unscientific dumping of wastes in Sarai village has been contaminating soil and ground water in Hardiwar. Locals allege that their agricultural lands are becoming barren due to garbage disposal on around 17 acres of land in Sarai.
This land was given to KRL, a private firm, by the municipal corporation of Haridwar for disposing domestic waste in 2012, but it is alleged that the company has not been following norms relating to garbage disposal.
According to rules, wastes should only be dumped in sanitary landfill pits and should be segregated (into biodegradable and non-biodegradable) before disposal.
“Our soil is getting contaminated and we fear that our groundwater will also get polluted soon. Further, the stench from the dumping ground is unbearable and is polluting the air we breathe. We request the civic officials to take control of the situation,” said Hukum Singh, a local farmer.
The city's civic body had also tasked KRL with door-to-door garbage collection. The firm was asked to set up a solid waste management plant and make sanitary landfills for disposing wastes scientifically. While the waste management plant was built in 2017, it hasn’t yet become functional as source segregation of domestic waste is not carried out by the sanitary workers.
“Our soil is getting contaminated and we fear that our groundwater will also get polluted soon. Further, the stench from the dumping ground is unbearable and is polluting the air we breathe. We request the civic officials to take control of the situation,” said Hukum Singh, a local farmer.
The city's civic body had also tasked KRL with door-to-door garbage collection. The firm was asked to set up a solid waste management plant and make sanitary landfills for disposing wastes scientifically. While the waste management plant was built in 2017, it hasn’t yet become functional as source segregation of domestic waste is not carried out by the sanitary workers.
When queried about the issue, civic officials told TOI that a penalty was imposed on KRL for not dumping waste in sanitary landfills. “We asked KRL to ensure that waste is segregated and is disposed only in a sanitary landfill. A penalty was also imposed on the company for not complying with the norms. An ultimatum has also been given to KRL to ensure that all the norms regarding waste disposal are followed.”
Meanwhile, KRL officials claim that the city’s civic body never issued funds for increasing capacity of waste treatment plant or for making landfills. “We have sent several letters to the state government urging them to release funds for proper garbage disposal. Once the budget is released, we will ensure sanitary landfills and upgrade the waste treatment plant. At present, the plant can only turn 40 tonnes of garbage into fertilisers,” KRL director Sukhbir Singh Dhindsa told TOI.
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