4 days ago
Make Aravalli range a ‘no-go' zone for landfills, burning & dumping of waste in Haryana, report recommends
Severe environmental degradation and a public health crisis triggered by the 'illegal' dumping and burning of waste in the expansive Aravalli range in Haryana are among the concerns flagged in a recent report titled 'The State of the Haryana Aravallis: Citizens' Report – Part 2', which was released on Tuesday.
Prepared by the People for Aravallis, a nonprofit, the report was submitted to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Monday. It recommends making the entire range in Haryana a 'no-go' zone for landfills, burning, and the dumping of waste. It further suggests conducting independent studies to properly assess the damage caused by such practices.
The first part of the report, released on May 30, was primarily concerned with the damage caused by the large-scale illegal mining and deforestation in the area, while the second part is focused on waste dumping and its ramifications in the region. The report identifies over 100 geo-tagged locations across Gurgaon, Faridabad, Nuh, Rewari, and Charkhi Dadri districts where alleged illegal waste disposal has contributed to the contamination of soil, groundwater, and air.
Supported by conservationist Dr Rajendra Singh and waste management experts, the report calls for immediate action to protect this ancient ecosystem.
The range, 692 km in length, spanning from Gujarat to Delhi through Rajasthan, is home to diverse wildlife. Highlighting the need to protect the ecological region, the report underlines that the range supports a wide range of species, including leopards, hyenas, and over 200 bird species. The report points out that in Nuh's Tauru region, villages like Khori Khurd and Khori Kalan host illegal units that burn industrial waste from Bhiwadi, Rajasthan. This was despite a May 2025 order prohibiting open burning of all types of waste, including solid, liquid, and organic, in the Aravalli region of Nuh.
Further, the report flags that waste burning, which involves plastics and chemicals, releases toxic gases, worsening air quality in Delhi-NCR. The Bandhwari landfill in Gurgaon and a dump near the ITI Colony at the Sohna-Alwar road contribute to the degradation. A 2022 Centre for Science and Environment study has found high levels of pathogens and heavy metals in the area near Bandhwari landfill, raising serious ecological concerns.
Neelam Ahluwalia, founder-member of People for Aravallis, cited weak monitoring as a trigger facilitating waste dumping and burning. 'We need an Aravalli Protection Task Force Committee in each district, led by the Deputy Commissioner and overseen by the Chief Secretary, to ensure accountability', she underlined.
According to Brahim Khal of the Jal Biradari social movement, the chemical-laden waste in Tauru villages pollutes groundwater, harms people, cattle, as well as wildlife. To curtail this, he proposed 24/7 checkposts and drone surveillance along the Nuh-Rajasthan border, with the footage shared publicly for transparency.
Dr Shyamala Mani, a waste management expert, urged the enforcement of the 2016 Solid Waste Management Rules, emphasising source segregation, composting, and recycling to reduce landfill reliance. While adding that landfills should be moved outside eco-sensitive areas, she also called for a ban on single-use plastics in the Aravalli districts.
