Leachate removed from Bandhwari, released at STPs in Gurugram

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has started to remove leachate from the Bandhwari landfill and discharge it into the sewage treatment plants (STPs), according to officials. The move came after several complaints were received that the leachate had contaminated water bodies in the Aravalli forests, posing a serious threat to animal life, officials said.

MCG officials said that the legacy leachate at Bandhwari is being transported to the STPs in Behrampur and Dhanwapur, where two DTROs will be installed. “Both the STP plants together have the capacity to treat more than 400 MLD (million litres daily) of wastewater on a daily basis,’ said an MCG official associated with the matter.

On Tuesday, HT reported that leachate was flowing into water bodies, and animals were drinking the polluted water. On Saturday, tankers were seen removing leachate from the ponds and were sent to the Behrampur STP, which is 17.3 kilometres away.

“We are taking all possible measures to ensure leachate does not flow into the water pits in Aravallis,” said Naresh Kumar, joint commissioner MCG. “We have started transporting leachate in tankers to Behrampur, but it will take time to clear the site, and we want to empty the pond before the monsoons. Also, we have plans to construct a drainage system around the Bandhwari landfill to stop the leakage of leachate into the neighbouring water bodies and the protected Aravalli range.”

Officials said that at least four tankers are being used for clearing leachate ponds.

Neelam Ahluwalia, co-founder, Aravalli Bachao citizens movement, said, “Releasing leachate into STP should be part of the standard operating procedure. What is the rocket science in this? Officials of MCG and Ecogreen responsible for the gross negligence of letting the toxic leachate flow into the forest and poison the water bodies and underground water need to be jailed and penalised. Only then will it force them to do their work responsibly. More importantly, if wet food waste is composted or made into biogas at the level of the bulk waste generators and the wards, there will be no problem of leachate to deal with.”