NEW DELHI: The Bandhwari Landfill site, one of the largest waste dumping sites in the Delhi-NCR region, located in Gurugram, has become a significant source of uncontrolled leachate discharge contaminating nearby forests, agricultural land, and water bodies, according to the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
A joint inspection team from the NGT submitted a report highlighting serious environmental concerns and violations at the landfill site.
Leachate is a contaminated liquid generated from a solid waste disposal site through unpaved (kutcha) drains and concrete pipes.
A petition was filed in the NGT alleging that leachate from the landfill is flowing onto the roads in nearby villages and forests in the absence of a proper drainage system for over a year.
In response, the green panel formed a joint inspection team that included the Member Secretary of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Regional Office of CPCB, and representatives from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) in Chandigarh to inspect the site.
During the inspection, the team found that leachate was overflowing on the landfill premises through temporary kutcha drains, and was not confined to the road or nearby villages.
Further observations revealed that there was no impermeable lining in place for three leachate storage ponds, which increases the risk of groundwater contamination. The team also noted lack of arrangements to measure the quantity of leachate generated with no treatment facilities at the site.
Additionally, representatives of sewage treatment plants (STPs) did not provide necessary documentation to assess whether these plants were complying with previous NGT orders regarding parameters such as pH, Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), and faecal coliform.
Ruchika Sethi Takkar, a member of the citizen group Citizens for Clean Air, said, “The NGT-appointed inspection team report on Gurugram’s Bandhwari Landfill crisis exposes systemic failures in implementing SWM Rules 2016.”
“The municipality continues with flawed transportation-based models and C&T contracts. We need urgent ward-level processing and sustainable waste resource recovery plans now,” she added.
The principal bench of the NGT, consisting of Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member Dr A Senthil Vel, will hear the case on October 27.
Over the years, the landfill has faced criticism for frequent fires, groundwater pollution, and encroachment in the ecologically sensitive Aravalli Range. Originally designed to handle around 1,200 tonnes of waste daily, it currently receives approximately 2,000 tonnes each day. A study conducted in 2025 found that about 25% of the total waste comprises which and enters the landfill, which increases its size and fire risk.