How much legacy waste is lying at Bandhwari landfill? MCG asks NEERI to conduct survey

Gurgaon: MCG has asked the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) to carry out the assessment survey of the legacy waste lying at Bandhwari for which the institute has sought one month. The MCG has informed the nine-member panel constituted by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that it will take a month to complete the survey, said officials.
Earlier, MCG had told the NGT committee that its assessment showed that 32 lakh tonnes of legacy waste was lying above the ground level at Bandhwari. However, a drone survey report, which was tabled before the NGT panel, stated that around 40 to 45 lakh tonnes of legacy waste was present at Bandhwari. The technical experts present in the meeting then recommended a scientific waste assessment, following which the MCG approached NEERI for the survey.
“We have received a consent letter from NEERI that they will conduct our assessment survey. We want to know the weight, height and volume of the legacy waste at Bandhwari. The survey should be completed by December-end,” said Naresh Kumar, MCG joint commissioner (Swachh Bharat Mission).
The committee constituted by NGT to oversee and expedite the legacy waste processing at Bandhwari had recommended in its previous meetings that the waste processing should be completed by March 2023. For that, the actual quantity of waste lying at Bandhwari has to be ascertained so that the tenders can be floated accordingly. The tenders are currently floated on the basis of quantity. The private agencies deployed by MCG have processed only one lakh tonnes of waste in the last two months.
“It is a good decision that MCG has decided to rope in NEERI for evaluation of legacy waste lying at Bandhwari. We will finally get to know the accurate quantity of legacy waste since different agencies come up with different figures. To get rid of legacy waste, the first step is to know the amount of waste to be processed. However, I hope the survey is done in time since the deadline to stop fresh waste dumping and process all the legacy waste is approaching,” said Vaishali Rana Chandra, a city-based environmentalist.