Waste from Bandhwari dumped in Mangar’s Aravallis: activists

Mangar village in Faridabad is emerging as a new epicentre of illegal dumping, with hundreds of tonnes of waste from the Bandhwari landfill being offloaded into the fragile ecosystem of the Aravalli hills in recent days, according to environmentalists and locals.

Starting Friday birders and environmentalists said they saw multiple dumper trucks transporting untreated “compost waste” — likely laden with plastics, heavy metals, and toxins — into Mangar’s Gair Mumkin Pahar zone, which spans 3,810 acres. Of this, 1,132 acres are protected under Sections 4 and 5 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), while the remaining land falls under the “forest status to be decided” category, where non-forest activity is prohibited.

The waste is allegedly being dumped not just to discard landfill residue, but to alter the terrain illegally said Lt Col (Retd) Sarvadaman Singh Oberoi, a conservationist. The material, he said, is being spread to level undulations, fill kuccha paths and rain-fed johar catchments—effectively flattening terrain to create roads and illegally occupy forest land.

“I was shocked to see huge mounds of legacy waste dumped across forest trails in Mangar. The Bandhwari landfill isn’t reducing because it’s being processed—it’s being dumped here,” said Pragya Taneja, a wildlife enthusiast who visited the site on Tuesday.

Locals and environmentalists said the activity has now extended into neighbouring villages such as Dhauj and Kot. Vaishali Rana, a Gurugram-based environmentalist, said: “This needs urgent investigation. The scale of dumping, the toxic nature of the trommel residue, and the destruction of ecology must be scrutinized. Authorities must answer how waste is moving from a state-monitored landfill into a protected eco-zone without checks.”

Lt Col (Retd) Sarvadaman Singh Oberoi, a conservationist, said: “Mangar has over 3,800 acres of Aravalli land, of which 1,132 are PLPA-protected. The rest is forest land awaiting notification. No non-forest activity can take place here. What’s happening is not just illegal—it’s ecocidal. This dumped waste is burying native herbs, wildlife burrows, and tree saplings, altering the region’s ecology permanently.”

Oberoi said the dumped material includes toxic rejects from trommel sieving at Bandhwari—microplastics, metallic waste, and leachate-prone materials. Experts warned that dumping such residue in low-lying areas can contaminate water catchments, with toxins seeping into groundwater and affecting ecosystems and local communities. “I have been keeping a check on the dumped material,” he said.

Ashok Kumar Garg, commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), said he has taken serious note of the activity. “I have ordered an immediate inspection of the Mangar site. An inquiry will be marked to identify the violators behind this illegal activity. Strict action will be taken under environmental and municipal laws,” he said.

Forest watchers and environmentalists suspect this may be among the largest coordinated land transformations in the Aravallis in recent years. “Trucks are clearing paths and dumping behind dams, across slopes, and in catchment zones. The intent is clear—they’re preparing land for illegal occupation,” Oberoi said.

With the Bandhwari landfill shrinking despite no meaningful expansion in waste-processing capacity, environmental groups fear illegal translocation of untreated waste could become the new norm. Residents of Mangar, already battling deforestation and encroachment, warn this may be the last chance to save the Aravallis—before bulldozers, politics, and profiteering erase them for good.