City’s solid waste heads to Jawahar Nagar despite NGT order

Garbage trucks continued their trips to the solid waste management facility at Jawahar Nagar on Saturday, two days after the order by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation not to bring any fresh waste to the site.

After the hearing pertaining to a petition against the pollution caused by the legacy dump at the site, the NGT has on October 28, directed GHMC to stop the transfer of fresh solid waste to Jawahar Nagar, pending a report by IIT Bombay about disposal of legacy waste.

The Southern bench of the NGT, which heard the case, has put an embargo on the Refused Derived Fuel too. However, it has permitted processing of existing waste at the facility.

GHMC, for loss of any other alternative, has continued to take waste to the site in violation of the order. Highly placed officials said the civic body does not have any other location where the waste can be stored for four days until final order is delivered.

“We will contest the order, as it is not a feasible solution. The only other site we have is at Pyaranagar, and there is a stay by NGT on that place too,” said the official.

Pyaranagar in Sangareddy district has witnessed raucous protests by the local residents when GHMC tried to set up a processing facility at a 150-acre government land there. Two more sites identified by GHMC, at Lakdaram in Medak district and Khanapur in Rangareddy district are stuck due to land issues.

Jawahar Nagar receives an average 9,684 metric tonnes of solid waste per day. Of this, 8,500-odd tonnes go from GHMC alone, and the remaining is contributed by the surrounding 14 municipalities/corporations.

The petitioners in the NGT sought directions for adherence to the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, and to the order by the principal bench of NGT in 2018 directing GHMC to take up biomining of the 12-million tonne legacy waste as permanent solution for the problem.

GHMC said it could not get any response for the tender notification for biomining, while IIT-Bombay, appointed by GHMC as the technical expert, has advised against Biomining citing health hazards.