Gurgaon: Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) has issued a reminder to the director of urban local bodies (ULB) to submit a report pertaining to Bandhwari landfill. Commission member Deep Bhatia — in an order dated Oct 6 — noted that the report sought from the ULB director (Panchkula) in May this year had not been received.The commission directed the department to submit its report before the next hearing on Feb 2, 2027. HHRC’s direction follows a complaint —filed by environmentalist Vaishali Rana in 2023 — alleging groundwater pollution and health hazards due to improper waste management at the landfill near the Gurgaon-Faridabad border. The commission clubbed the complaint with two earlier cases concerning similar issues.Rana told TOI, “Bandhwari has not been managed according to prescribed norms, posing health risks to residents and polluting groundwater. The report sought by HHRC is still pending. The issues raised in the complaint concern public health and the risk of groundwater contamination around Bandhwari. The commission had visited the site and issued directions to prevent leachate seepage in 2023. The authorities must clarify what action has been taken, submit the pending report and ensure that the concerns of residents are addressed.”The matter comes against the backdrop of the commission’s intervention at Bandhwari landfill in May 2023. After taking cognizance of leachate accumulation, the commission visited the site and directed MCG to construct a drainage system to prevent the contaminated liquid from reaching nearby water bodies and Aravalis. It also called for water sampling and asked the civic body to involve environmentalists in waste and leachate management.In a subsequent order, the commission directed MCG to line leachate ponds with water-resistant sheets, build boundary walls around them and expedite drainage work. Concerns over leakage continued later that year, with residents and environmentalists alleging that leachate was flowing from the landfill towards Bandhwari village. MCG issued a notice to its waste management concessionaire, while the forest department deployed teams following reports of leakage into the forest.
