Bandhwari Landfill Harming Aravalli Forest

Subject :Environment

Section :Pollution

Context:

Bandhwari Landfill and Aravalli forests

The Aravalli forests and the hills surrounding India’s National Capital Region are home to many leopards, nilgais, jackals, civet cats, reptiles, birds, and other wildlife.
They are also the biggest source of recharge for Delhi-NCR’s groundwater and have the potential to push 2 million litres of water per hectare into the ground every year.
For the water-starved areas of Gurugram, Faridabad, Delhi, and the rest of NCR where groundwater levels are falling dangerously low, the Aravallis are a lifeline.
But unfortunately, the existence of the Bandhwari landfill in the middle of the eco-sensitive Aravallis is poisoning this lifeline, affecting the water security of millions of people living in the NCR.

Bandhwari Landfill:

Bandhwari is one of the biggest landfills in north India.
Hundreds of trees have been cut down to accommodate the noxious 2,000 tonnes of unsegregated waste that comes in daily from the two most populous cities of Haryana – Gurugram and Faridabad.
Not only is this causing a massive amount of pollution, it is also affecting the ecologically sensitive Aravalli range.
Of the 30 acres of Aravalli land being used as a landfill, 14.86 acres is under the Aravalli Plantation Project, which as per earlier Supreme Court orders, gives the land legal “forest status” with protection under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980.
The landfill was also established on an abandoned 250 feet deep mining pit which is very close to the ground water aquifer. The site is also close the last remaining patch of native Aravalli forest, a sacred grove for locals.
Underground water and water sources around the area have also been contaminated due to the toxic leachates releasing from the landfill.
The Bandhwari landfill is estimated to have about 35 lakh tonnes of untreated, mixed waste that has accumulated over 12 years. It is affecting wildlife, soil, water and humans all around it.