Concerns mount over waste-to-energy project at Deonar amid pollution fears
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) proposed 1800 TPD Waste-to-Energy (WtE) plant at Deonar, the site of India's largest dumping ground, has drawn strong opposition from residents, activists, and legal professionals, who fear the plant will further deteriorate the already poor air quality in the Govandi area, leading to grave public health consequences.
The WtE project, awarded to Chennai MSW Pvt. Ltd., is slated for commissioning by October 2025 at an estimated cost of ₹2,648 crore. The facility, spread over 8.2 hectares, is expected to process 600 metric tonnes of waste daily, generating an estimated 17 million units of energy annually. However, apprehensions persist regarding the emission of harmful gases and its potential to exacerbate respiratory ailments in a region already plagued by tuberculosis, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Zakir (30), a long-time resident of Baiganwadi near the Deonar site, expressed anxiety over the project's implications. 'Every other house here has a TB or asthma patient. Adding another pollutant-emitting project will make survival even harder,' he said. The area, comprising over 200 informal settlements, houses more than one million people, many of whom live in close proximity to the Deonar dumping ground and already report high exposure to toxic emissions.
'This technology may claim to control emissions, but the ground reality is different. I work at the dumping site; I see what happens,' another Baiganwadi resident, also employed at the landfill, said. Residents also voiced concerns that the same area is being earmarked to rehabilitate families displaced under the Dharavi Redevelopment Project.
Legal interventions have also begun to take shape. Advocate Abid Abbas Sayyed has filed formal objections to multiple authorities including the BMC Commissioner, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). In his letter, he questioned the environmental clearances granted to the plant, warning that incineration will produce carcinogens, dioxins, furans, carbon monoxide, and sulphur oxides.
'What is the guarantee this plant will not worsen existing respiratory conditions?' Mr. Sayyed asked. He pointed out that the biomedical waste facility set up in 2009 at the same site operated for five years without MPCB clearance. Despite a court order over six months ago mandating its relocation, compliance remains pending.
Residents of Shivaji Nagar, like Aditya (35), shared similar frustrations. 'We were told the biomedical plant was safe. But now we wake up to black soot on our vehicles and a constant foul smell,' he said. 'The average life expectancy here is reportedly just 39 years. How much more can the BMC extract from Govandi?'
The Govandi New Sangam Welfare Society has filed a petition in the Bombay High Court demanding the closure of the biomedical waste facility run by civic contractor SMS Envoclean Pvt. Ltd. Meanwhile, the MPCB claims it conducted year-long studies before approving the Deonar WtE project. Officer Rakesh Dafade stated that pollution mitigation measures, such as a 50-metre-high chimney and a scrubbing system to remove toxins from exhaust gases, will be implemented.
Still, critics argue that these technical provisions do not address the core issue: lack of waste segregation. 'Deonar receives a mix of biodegradable, plastic, hazardous, and biomedical waste with no source segregation,' said Mr. Aditya. 'How will the government ensure that only suitable waste is processed for energy recovery?'
Citing Rule 15 of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, Mr. Sayyed's objection letter highlights the BMC's alleged failure to ensure segregation at source, scientific processing, and proper waste stream management. He noted that Mumbai's high organic waste content lowers its calorific value, making it inefficient for incineration—a fact borne out by the closure of seven out of 14 WtE plants across India.
Activists and residents have called for an immediate stay on the project and demanded a fresh Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) with stakeholder consultations. They have also urged for comprehensive environmental and health impact studies in the area and the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to audit the functioning of existing WtE facilities nationwide.
An RTI application has also been filed by Mr. Sayyed to seek detailed records on the plant's clearances, approval processes, and environmental assessments.
As the debate continues, the people of Govandi await clarity on whether the pursuit of energy will once again come at the cost of their health.
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The levels of toxicology indicators at the Deonar dumping ground in Mumbai are up to four times the permissible limits prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board, a study commissioned by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has shown, The Indian Express reported on Sunday. The study comes against the backdrop of plans to relocate residents of Dharavi, who will be displaced due to the slum redevelopment project, to the dumping ground site after clearing it. The 326-acre landfill in the city's eastern suburbs is India's largest and oldest dumping ground, with the garbage mounting up to 35 to 40 metres, as high as a 12-storey building. It holds nearly 1.85 crore metric tonnes of legacy, or aged and accumulated, waste. Several reports have pointed out that settlements around the dumping ground are exposed to mercury and toxic gases. The waste characterisation study commissioned by the municipal corporation analysed the levels of Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Chemical Oxygen Demand and Total Dissolved Solids in the waste and leachate, or liquid leaching out of the waste piles, at Deonar, The Indian Express reported. Biochemical Oxygen Demand is the amount of oxygen that microorganisms require to decompose the organic matter under aerobic conditions, while Chemical Oxygen Demand is the total amount of oxygen required to break down the organic matter by chemical oxidation. The Total Dissolved Solids refers to the measure of all inorganic and organic materials dissolved in water. All three are key indicators of environmental toxicology. Higher levels indicate increased toxins. According to the study, the average Biochemical Oxygen Demand in the leachate was 390 milligrams per litre, according to The Indian Express. The permissible limit of this indicator is 100 milligrams per litre (land) and 30 milligrams per litre (water). Additionally, the average Chemical Oxygen Demand was 1,002 milligrams per litre, with the permissible limit being 250 milligrams per litre (water), the study noted. It added that the average Total Dissolved Solids level was 6,550 milligrams per litre. The permissible limit was 2,100 milligrams per litre. The report also noted that 'inert waste', including construction debris and non-biodegradable material, comprised 30-50% of the waste, according to The Indian Express. 'This type of waste poses challenges for disposal and management due to its… low degradation rate,' the newspaper quoted the study as having said. The study was commissioned by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation in 2023 and conducted by NETEL India Limited, in a joint venture with NM Consultants-SKW Soil and Surveys, The Indian Express reported. The report was made public in May after the municipal corporation floated a Rs 2,368 crore tender to clean up the site by a process of bioremediation, a natural or accelerated process that uses biological organisms to clean up environmental contamination, within three years. Kiran Dighavkar, Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Solid Waste Management), told The Indian Express that the tender document has mentioned that the methodology of processing the legacy waste, including the leachate, should be ideated by the contractor who will be awarded the contract. 'After the contractor submits the proposal, we [Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation] will analyse it and, if required, a peer review process will be carried out through a reputed agency,' Dighavkar said. 'After we approve the methodology, work will start on the ground.' He added that the contractor for the work would be finalised by June 23. The Dharavi slum redevelopment project is being carried out through a special purpose vehicle, in which the Adani Group holds an 80% stake and the state government holds the remaining 20%. Along with the rehabilitation of slum residents, it involves redeveloping buildings and informal tenements as well as developing infrastructure such as water supply and sewage in Dharavi, considered to be among the world's largest slums. Until the Dharavi redevelopment is complete – a process that could take decades – the Maharashtra government has decided to relocate residents to various neighbourhoods across Mumbai. A large section of residents, those who have been declared 'ineligible' to receive new homes in Dharavi, will be permanently shifted to the dumping ground in Deonar, which is 12 km away. Ineligible residents are those who either live on upper floors in Dharavi's shanties or built their tenements after 2000.
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18 hours ago
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At Deonar dumping site, toxicology indicators four times safety limit: Study
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Similarly, the average COD was 1,002 mg/l, while the permissible limit is 250 mg/l (water); the average TDS level was 6,550 mg/l, while the permissible limit is 2,100 mg/l (see box). BOD indicates the amount of dissolved oxygen required by microorganisms to break down organic matter present in a water sample; COD refers to the amount of oxygen required to chemically oxidise organic matter; TDS refers to total concentration of all dissolved substances, including inorganic salts, minerals, and organic matter. While the study was commissioned by the BMC in 2023, as a first step towards reclaiming the landfill, the report was made public last month after the civic body floated a Rs 2,368 crore tender to clean up the site by a process of bioremediation within three years. The study was carried out by NETEL India Limited, in a joint venture with NM Consultants-SKW Soil and Surveys. According to the study, 'inert waste', which includes construction debris and non bio-degradable material, comprises 30-50% of the waste. 'This type of waste poses challenges for disposal and management due to its… low degradation rate,' the report says. Speaking to The Indian Express on the significance of the findings, Dr Tuhin Banerji, a PhD research scholar at IIT Bombay and former scientist at the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), said the high BOD, COD and TDS levels indicate that the entire area is severely contaminated. 'The leachate contaminates the soil and water severely. The high BOD, COD and TDS levels indicate that the whole area is contaminated, (making it unsuitable) for human habitation, at present. Any living organism, be it micro-organisms, animals or plants will not survive in such conditions, since the process of nutrient uptake will affect organisms across the food chain in a similar manner,' he said. 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When contacted, Kiran Dighavkar, Deputy Municipal Commissioner, solid waste management, said: 'In the tender document that was floated for clearing the waste pile from the dumpsite last month, it has been clearly mentioned that the methodology of ideally processing the legacy waste, including the leachate, should be ideated by the contractor who will be awarded the contract. After the contractor submits the proposal, we (BMC) will analyse it and, if required, a peer review process will be carried out through a reputed agency. After we approve the methodology, work will start on the ground.' Dighavkar said the contractor for this work would be finalised by June 23, following which the work order would be issued. 'Before the monsoon season ends, the selected contractor will have to finalise the methodology and mobilise manpower, so that the work of bio-remediation can immediately begin after monsoon gets over,' he said. 'The primary challenge is in the manner of logistics. The leachate particles, along with every component of solid waste, will be treated scientifically, following which a residue will be extracted. Usually, these residues are used by cement factories. However, there is no cement factory available near Mumbai; the nearest factory is at least 500 km away. So the process of transporting the residue or deciding what to do with it is going to be a challenge,' said a civic official. 'Secondly, the maximum component of waste present there is either inert or non-recyclable, which is also a challenge. But we will have to achieve the process with bio-remediation, since this is the certified methodology of landfill reclamation as prescribed by the Government of India,' the official said. Bioremediation involves treating garbage with microorganisms that flourish in air and sunlight. In October 2024, the state government had allocated 124 acres of the 311-acre Deonar landfill for the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP), which is being carried out by the Navbharat Mega Developers Private Limited (NMDPL) — a special purpose vehicle set up through a joint venture between the Adani Group (80%) and the state housing department's Slum Rehabilitation Authority (20%). At present, the Deonar dumping ground houses 1.85 crore metric tonnes (MT) of legacy waste piled up in 40-metre-high mountains. On April 11, The Indian Express had reported that around 6,200 kg of methane is generated from the landfill every hour, making Deonar one of the top 22 methane hotspots in the country, according to a CPCB report.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
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Govandi residents accuse MPCB of undervaluing environmental violations by biomedical waste facility
MUMBAI: Residents of Govandi have accused the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) of grossly underreporting and mishandling environmental violations by SMS Envoclean Pvt. Ltd., which operates a biomedical waste treatment facility in the area. A biomedical waste treatment facility is a specialised center that handles, processes, and disposes of hazardous waste from healthcare and research facilities, such as used syringes, bandages, surgical instruments, pathological waste, pharmaceuticals, and materials contaminated with blood, bodily fluids, or infectious agents. In a fresh application filed before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), a specialised judicial body in India established to address environmental disputes, on June 2, the Govandi New Sangam Welfare Society alleged that MPCB failed to impose appropriate environmental penalties on the facility, despite repeated violations of the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016 (BMWM Rules). The Society claims that the MPCB ignored key violations such as untreated effluent discharge, improper handling of biomedical waste, and manipulation of emissions data while calculating Environmental Damage Compensation (EDC). Citing the Polluter Pays and Precautionary Principles, which requires polluters to bear the costs of pollution prevention, control, and restoration, the petition demands a new, legally sound assessment of the environmental damage and seeks personal accountability of MPCB officials for allegedly suppressing evidence and failing to perform their statutory duties. The society pointed to several complaints it had made in the past, flagging serious concerns over toxic emissions and adverse health impacts from the plant. Following inspections, the MPCB issued closure directions in July 2019, confirming violations of the BMWM Rules. However, despite this, the board imposed no penalty and calculated a compensation of just ₹14.22 lakh—an amount the petitioners say grossly favours the polluter. Dissatisfied with the inaction, the society initially filed a public interest litigation in the Bombay High Court. On September 11, 2023, the High Court directed the petitioners to approach the NGT for suitable remedies. In its plea, the society accused the MPCB of deliberately excluding crucial evidence of non-compliance, including failure to meet treated wastewater standards and delays in disposing of biomedical waste within the mandated 48-hour period. 'MPCB chose to disregard these key violations for reasons best known to them,' the petition closure notice issued by MPCB itself, dated July 6, 2019, documented several infractions- failure to segregate waste as per the 2016 Rules, poor maintenance of biomedical waste records, unwashed transport vehicles at the site, and transportation vehicles lacking mandatory biohazard symbols. 'Despite these glaring lapses, MPCB has under-calculated the compensation and misled the tribunal,' the petition alleged. The residents further invoked the Central Pollution Control Board's 2019 guidelines, which require enhanced penalties for repeat violations—guidelines that MPCB allegedly failed to apply. This, the petition claims, has made such violations economically viable for offending the society alleged that MPCB excluded 267 days during the COVID-19 pandemic and another 395 days in 2020–21 from its compensation calculation—periods during which violations had occurred. Calling for the application of the strict and absolute liability principle under environmental law, the society urged the NGT to direct MPCB to reassess and impose a fair and accurate EDC on the polluter.
