Thane faces green rap over waste management

The dumping ground in Chauda Gaav has been used by TMC for nine months. File Pic/Satej Shinde

In response to a Sunday mid-day report dated October 15, the National Green Tribunal's (NGT) Pune bench initiated suo-motu action, directing the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) to promptly address the accumulated "legacy waste". The directive includes expeditious clearance of the existing waste and the submission of a closure plan by May 31, 2024.

The temporary dumping ground - located on a hill in the Chauda Gaav area - has been utilised by TMC for nine months, resulting in the accumulation of legacy waste amounting to 1 lakh metric tonnes (MT). Residents of a cluster comprising fourteen villages in Thane district have been actively opposing the establishment of the temporary dumping ground situated on a hill in the Chauda Gaav area. The NGT took suo motu action against the TMC in response to the October 15 mid-day report.

In an order issued on January 10, 2024, the NGT mandated that the TMC must clear the existing waste or legacy and present a closure plan in the next four months. As part of this directive, the NGT has stipulated that a bank guarantee of R5 lakh is to be deposited with the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) within two weeks from the date of the order. If the TMC fail to complete the specified tasks within the given timeframe, the deposited amount will be subject to forfeiture.

The 14 villages - Bhandarli, Narivli, Bale, Dahisar, Dahisar Mori, Mokashipada, Uttarshiv, Goteghar, Waklan, Bamanliv, Nighu, Nevali, Pimpri and Nagav - are still under gram panchayat administration, while the areas around them are governed by municipal corporations. The NGT order reads: "Application was registered pursuant to the action taken by the Principal Bench of this Tribunal vide order dated November 23, 2023, on a news item published in ‘mid-day' newspaper on October 15, 2023, wherein it was reported that the residents of a fourteen village cluster in Thane District fight against a dumping ground, set up by the Thane Municipal Corporation, (TMC) located on the hills in Chauda Gaav area, which led to the flow of dirty water going down in the villager's home, resulting in bad smell (sic)."

In February 2023, the TMC (respondent no. 2) announced that it would be dumping its municipal waste on a patch of land on the hill, which was opposed immediately by the local residents. However, at the time, is was said that this was a temporary arrangement for a year. During the hearing, the counsel representing the TMC informed the court that the dumping activity at the temporary dumping ground in Chauda Gaav had ceased on October 25, 2023. They further stated that a new dumping site had been identified at Daighar, where a waste-to-energy plant is in operation. The counsel also disclosed the preparation of a detailed project report for clearing legacy waste. However, neither the quantity nor a specific timeline for the clearance was provided. The request for additional time to furnish these details was granted by the green court.

In the response affidavit submitted before the NGT dated January 2, 2024, TMC mentioned that Thane city generates a daily waste of 900-1,000 metric tonnes. The existing dumping ground in Diva had reached its maximum capacity, leading TMC to dispose of and process waste on private land at Bhandarli. However, a post-closure plan for Bhandarli must be submitted to the MPCB. A leachate well has been constructed at Bhandarli to collect and treat leachate at the nearest sewage treatment plant in Mumbra. The newly designated site at Daighar has commenced operations, with TMC obtaining authorisation and consent to operate from the MPCB.

The order further mentioned: "The legacy waste of the Bhandarli site is around 1 lakh MT, which is likely to be cleared within 2 to 3 months and the tendering process will be completed by February 15, 2024. Evidence for the same has also come on record that on January 31, 2023, the operation at Bhandarli was started, which was stopped on October 25, 2023 (sic)."

Pointing out that garbage dumping has been part of a stinking controversy, literally, for some time in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), NGO NatConnect Foundation has called for finding a permanent solution. B N Kumar, founder and director of NatConnect, said, "The urban areas are rapidly growing and the solid waste crisis has been mounting. The NGT order should be seen as a stern reminder to our urban planners - the urban development department in particular - to examine the issue and take steps to check irresponsible dumping before it is too late. "One has not heard of any concrete steps from the ‘double engine' government after Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to make our cities garbage-free. There has been a lot of talk about generating power from urban waste but not much has been done on that front."

"As for Chauda Gaav, the area was once part of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) and they were represented by two corporators. The village panchayats had themselves decided to break away from NMMC and now they want to rejoin the NMMC," Kumar added.Local resident Laxman Patil said the TMC initially said that it was just a temporary measure for dumping of dry-wet waste from Thane city limits. "However it evolved into a health hazard for locals. We endured the stench and health risks due to the chief minister's request. However, the temporary solution didn't show signs of stopping, prompting our protest. I'm unaware of the NGT order and there has been no action to address the existing waste issue so far."

Rs 5Lakh
Bank guarantee to be deposited with MPCB