Residents protest against WTE plant at Bhandwari landfill

Around 90 residents including 30 children staged a protest against the waste-to-energy plant at Bhandwari.

Residents of Gurugram, Faridabad and Delhi staged a protest against the upcoming waste-to-energy plant near the Bhandwari landfill on Sunday. Around 90 residents including 30 students voiced their concern and objection against the proposal to build a waste treatment plant at the site. Protesters included the campaigners from Aravalli Bachao Citizens' Movement and residents from Bhandwari and Mangar villages. These are the villages nearest to the landfill and have been suffering since the landfill came into existence.

“Ever since this landfill came here 10 years ago, it has completely poisoned our groundwater. A WTE plant will poison the air as well,” Dhir SIngh, a Bhandwari resident said. He also said that in 2018 when the Haryana State Pollution Control Board held a public hearing, nobody was notified about it and those who attended the meeting were not given a copy of the details of the meeting. He also added that in a span of 10 years, the landfill has poisoned the groundwater and 60 people from the village have died of cancer since then.

One of the protesters, Dr Sarika Verma said, "Dioxins and furans generated by WTE plants are among the most toxic substances known to man. Inhaling these can lead to respiratory disorders, cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer.” Verma also noted that waste incineration is highly toxic as its residue contaminates the soil, air, water bodies including groundwater."The theme of our campaign is 'Green' versus 'Black'. The adults wore green clothes to show that our generation has been blessed to enjoy the beauty of nature and the children wore black to symbolise the dark future they will be inheriting because of the waste-to-energy plant," Anu, one of the campaigners of Aravalli Bachao said. Students staged plays and shouted slogans to raise their objection against the plant.