Chandigarh: The country’s top environmental court has told the city administration to fix its garbage and sewage processing gaps to halt the contamination of local waterways.The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has expressed deep concern that critical deficiencies remain unaddressed despite repeated warnings, demanding a time-bound roadmap to bring waste-handling shortcomings down to zero.While the Union territory generates 550 tonnes of municipal solid waste daily and claims total collection coverage, the tribunal found that source segregation is incomplete. About 77 tonnes of garbage each day is still collected in mixed form. The NGT ordered strict enforcement of segregation protocols before waste reaches processing plants.The court also flagged potential toxic risks in the city’s agricultural compost. Even though Chandigarh claims its biodegradable processing is safe, the NGT said it had ignored previous warnings regarding heavy-metal content and its long-term impact on soil and crops. The administration must now submit scientific data verifying compost safety.Further investigation was ordered into the disposal of 44,390 tonnes of excavated bio-soil used to level low-lying land, with the court demanding proof that the material is non-reactive and free from leachable contaminants. The tribunal also criticised a lack of clarity in how Chandigarh tracks and processes sanitary, hazardous, and electronic waste.On liquid waste, the NGT identified a daily treatment gap of 1.38 million litres of sewage. While officials claim infrastructure will bridge this deficit, the tribunal demanded immediate safeguards to prevent raw sewage from spilling into natural water bodies.Furthermore, the court questioned the reliability of data from major treatment plants in Digian, Dhanas, and Kishangarh. The plants reported organic pollution levels as “below detectable limits” but failed to disclose their testing thresholds.Most alarmingly, the tribunal noted severe fecal bacteria contamination in Chandigarh’s seasonal rivulets. Despite claims of near-total sewer connectivity, leakages from local settlements are actively polluting the water. The NGT ordered authorities to map all discharge points, isolate the contamination sources, and present a comprehensive containment plan in its next report.
