HYDERABAD: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered an immediate halt to all fresh waste dumping at the Jawaharnagar dumpsite, including refuse-derived fuel (RDF). The tribunal, in its order dated October 28, said only the processing of existing legacy waste would be allowed, provided adequate facilities exist.
The order, received by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) on Thursday, has thrown the civic authorities into disarray. The GHMC has decided to file an appeal before the NGT on November 10, seeking relief from the blanket ban.
A senior GHMC official, who did not wish to be named, said: “It is a serious matter, I don’t want to comment on the NGT order. All doors seem shut for us.”
The NGT’s order follows a detailed report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), which outlined ongoing consultations with IIT Bombay and the GHMC to devise a long-term solution to the dumpsite issue. IIT Bombay has been tasked with preparing a comprehensive proposal addressing both legacy waste and ongoing accumulation. The tribunal directed the GHMC to bear the cost of implementing the proposed measures and asked the CPCB to share all relevant data on the site’s history with IIT Bombay.
GHMC faces mounting waste crisis amid landfill ban & no alternative sites
The Jawaharnagar dumpsite, operational for over two decades, has long been a source of pollution and public health risk. The site receives about 9,684 metric tonnes of solid waste daily, of which 8,500–9,000 tonnes originate from GHMC limits, while 1,100–1,200 tonnes come from 14 neighbouring urban local bodies.
GHMC’s challenge: No alternative sites
With the NGT’s latest order, the GHMC is grappling with the challenge of where to send the city’s daily waste until the next hearing. Officials admitted that Hyderabad has only one operational dumpsite: Jawaharnagar.
The corporation had earlier identified three alternative sites to distribute the load — Lakdaram (Medak district, 100 acres), Khanapur (Rangareddy district, 45 acres), and Pyaranagar (Sangareddy district, 150 acres). The Revenue department has so far handed over only the Pyaranagar land, and even there, local protests have halted work. Land for the other two sites is yet to be transferred to the GHMC.
Each of the proposed sites was meant to have waste recycling and waste-to-energy facilities, easing pressure on Jawaharnagar and reducing groundwater pollution from leachate discharge. However, delays in land transfer and administrative bottlenecks have left the city dependent on a single dumping yard.
Sources in the civic body said successive state governments had failed to expedite land handover despite repeated reminders, worsening the waste management crisis.
Residents cautiously hopeful
Residents living near Jawaharnagar expressed cautious optimism following the NGT’s intervention.
Sandeep, who lives barely 200 metres from the dumpsite, said: “We are happy that the NGT has passed orders to stop fresh dumping. But we aren’t sure if these orders will be followed, because earlier directions were ignored, putting lives at risk.”
Another resident, Neelam Reddy, said: “We have lived in the shadow of this dump for so long that it’s part of daily life. But it’s a health hazard for generations. The decision is hopeful, but the cleanup must begin soon with regular monitoring.”
Environmentalists have welcomed the tribunal’s decision, saying the long-neglected landfill has caused severe air, water, and soil contamination. The tribunal’s insistence on scientific processing and IIT Bombay’s technical involvement has raised expectations of a sustainable solution.
Until a resolution is reached in the next hearing on November 10, the GHMC faces the immediate problem of managing nearly 9,000 tonnes of daily waste with no approved alternate site in sight.