Chandigarh MC misses fourth deadline to remove legacy waste

The Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC) missed another deadline to complete the bioremediation of its entire legacy waste lying at the Dadumajra landfill, by December 2024, with officials now hoping to clear the remaining legacy waste by February this year.

The waste management journey of Chandigarh has been chequered as two legacy waste mountains of 5 lakh metric tonnes (MT) and 8 lakh MT came up in the past decades as a result of inadequate waste processing facilities. The entire 5 lakh MT waste was processed by December 2022.

Meanwhile, bioremediation of the second (8 lakh MT) mountain is presently being done by the corporation. As per officials, around 7.8 lakh MT waste has been processed till date. The entire work of leftover biomining of around 20,000 MT was said to be completed by December 2024, but the figures remain unchanged as on Monday.

Weather slowing segregation process: MC

The MC had earlier set the deadline for the complete processing of the 8 lakh MT mountain by March 2024, which had been extended to June, October and then finally to December. Even the Union ministry of environment, forest, and climate change, had on December 16, 2024, said in the Parliament session, that the work of bioremediation of entire legacy waste is scheduled for completion by December.

“Due to excessive moisture in the weather, the waste is getting wet and it is taking longer time to segregate and process. But, the private firm running operations has been given clear directions to clear the remaining 20,000 MT by February this year,” MC officials said.

Third mountain to be removed by July

However, in the meantime, a third mountain of waste, holding a massive 1.25 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of waste, has emerged at the Dadumajra landfill as a result of unabated dumping of unsegregated and unprocessed daily waste.

Municipal commissioner Amit Kumar said, “After completing the bioremediation of 20,000 MT waste, the firm will process the remaining 1.25 lakh MT waste by July 2025. New plants of segregation of mixed waste and for processing of horticulture waste have been set up and now, no dumping of fresh unprocessed waste is being done.”

Spread across 45.11 acres, the landfill is located right in the middle of the residential area, with people of Dadumajra, Sector 38 West, Sector 25 and Dhanas Colony, being most exposed. In almost every house located in the vicinity of the landfill, people are suffering from health hazards, including allergies, asthma, skin ailments, tuberculosis, cancer, paralysis and other chronic diseases. The residents of Dadumajra are voicing strong opposition to the setting of an Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) processing plant in their locality, and urge the officials to find an alternative site in Chandigarh or its surroundings. The ministry is also yet to issue environmental clearance for setting up the plant.

Box: City choked by mounting waste

MC’s daily waste collection: 500 tonne per day (Wet: 300 tonne) (Dry: 200 tonne)

Daily waste processing: 430 tonne per day (including entire wet and dry waste)

New plant started to cover up the gap of 70 tonne per day of unprocessed mixed waste

Bioremediation of first mountain (5 lakh MT) completed in December 2022

Bioremediation of second mountain ongoing (7.8 lakh MT out of 8 lakh MT cleared)

Third mountain containing 1.25 lakh MT waste come up