HYDERABAD: The National Green Tribunal (NGT), Southern Zone, has reprimanded the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and its concessionaire, Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited, for disobeying its earlier order that prohibited dumping of fresh municipal waste at Jawaharnagar landfill and imposed a penalty of Rs 1 lakh on both the civic body and private agency. It has directed them to pay the amount jointly to the NGT (Southern Zone) Regular Practitioners’ Association within four weeks.
The order, accessed by the TNIE, came after it was found that the GHMC and the agency continued dumping operations for over a week after the ban was imposed on October 28. The tribunal noted that its clear directions not to dump any fresh waste or Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) at the landfill were violated until November 6. GHMC claimed it came to know about the order only after it was uploaded online, but the tribunal dismissed the explanation as unacceptable.
The tribunal called the actions of GHMC and Ramky “utter disobedience of the order”. The tribunal’s censure follows mounting environmental and civic concerns over the management of the Jawaharnagar dumpyard, which has long been the epicentre of Hyderabad’s solid waste crisis.
However, offering limited relief, the NGT modified its previous order to permit GHMC to bring fresh waste to the site solely for processing in the reclaimed 214-acre area of the 339-acre landfill. The remaining 125-acre portion, which comprises the capped landfill area, will continue to remain out of bounds for any dumping or residue storage. The tribunal made it clear that the agency must not leave any processing residue on the capped site and reiterated that operations must adhere strictly to environmental guidelines.
The latest directions were issued after GHMC submitted a report detailing recommendations from IIT Bombay, which had inspected the site and suggested a set of short, medium and long-term measures for waste management and landfill rehabilitation.
IIT-Bombay report proposes plan to deal with MSW
The report, submitted on October 27, proposed a comprehensive plan involving the evaluation of leachate extraction and treatment, subsurface and groundwater monitoring, stabilisation of fresh waste and the development of biomining guidelines.
The long-term plan includes a full hydrological assessment and evaluation of the condition of municipal solid waste (MSW) in the capped landfill after two to three years using advanced geophysical methods.
The report also pointed out that biomining — planned at a scale of 19,000 to 20,000 tonnes per day to manage both daily and legacy waste — would pose major operational challenges.
As an immediate step, IIT Bombay recommended maintaining the status quo of the capped landfill while strengthening leachate management, stormwater control, and air quality monitoring systems. GHMC has assured the tribunal that it will implement these recommendations in a time-bound manner under IIT Bombay’s guidance.
Meanwhile, the Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TGPCB) had amended the Consent for Operation (CFO) for
the site in July 2025, enhancing the waste processing capacity to 10,000 tonnes per day and allowing for a projected annual growth of 5% in waste generation.
The revised consent mandates strict adherence to environmental safeguards and sustainable waste management practices. Currently, the 214-acre reclaimed area is managed by Ramky, which is responsible for segregation, composting, leachate treatment, and post-closure maintenance for a 15-year period.
During the hearing, the applicant’s counsel raised concerns about the management of fly ash generated from waste-to-energy operations, emphasising that the issue has not been adequately addressed by GHMC and Ramky. The bench warned that continued non-compliance with its directions would attract stricter penalties.
The matter has been posted for further hearing on January 16, 2026.