Chandigarh: The Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee (CPCC) has issued a show-cause notice to the municipal corporation after discovering serious lapses in managing toxic leachate at the Dadumajra dumping site — a recurring environmental hazard now flowing dangerously close to residential areas.During a recent inspection, CPCC officials found leachate seeping through the boundary wall of the landfill, forming a grimy channel along the road to Togan village, Punjab. The flow, left unchecked, now snakes past homes in Dadumajra, raising health and sanitation concerns.Regarding the generation of the leachate and its flow into the channel, the team further noted that there was an absence of measures for the diversion of stormwater, as surface runoff that came into contact with the solid waste resulted in the production of leachate. “This leachate subsequently flowed into a channel built adjacent to Dadumajra Colony, creating unsanitary conditions at the far end of the dumpsite,” said a UT official.The CPCC, in its notice to the municipal corporation, has warned that if the MC fails to take immediate measures, then this situation may exacerbate the pollution of the nearby choe. The leachate is not only flowing into the nearby water bodies, but it is also stagnating in and around the waste processing plant.The team also found unprocessed waste at the mixed waste processing plant. “The whole area is extremely dirty, and unprocessed waste was found behind the mixed waste processing facility. The area near the Leachate Treatment Plant (LTP) was so badly maintained that it was not even accessible for inspection and sample collection,” said the official.This is not the first time the leachate has been found flowing into the areas around the dumping site, particularly into the nearby water bodies and residential areas. In November last year, after an inspection, the CPCC officials observed, “There was a sump for the collection of leachates generated in a compost plant which is then fed into the LTP for treatment. Sometimes, the sump overflows, especially during rains, and then leachate flows into Patiala ki Rao choe, which badly affects the quality of the choe. Similarly, leachate may also flow from the landfill site.”There have been repeated reports, by the CPCC and the municipal corporation itself, that the LTP of 25 KLD installed at the compost site has not been functioning properly as the quality of treated water is very poor. Similarly, in a report to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in December last year, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) highlighted, “Leachate was not being managed properly. Although the LTP has been installed in the compost plant, not all the leachate generated in the compost plant is routed through the leachate treatment plant, leading to stagnation within the premises.“
