The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has submitted a detailed affidavit to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), Principal Bench, New Delhi, exposing serious environmental violations and ongoing mismanagement at Jalandhar’s Wariana dumpsite. The 40-year-old site, holding an estimated 20 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste and rising to about 50 metres in height, has become a symbol of the city’s waste management crisis.
Key Violations Highlighted in Affidavit
According to the affidavit filed by Jatinder Soni, Environmental Engineer at PPCB’s Regional Office in Kapurthala, the dumpsite continues to breach multiple provisions of the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2016. Critical issues include the absence of waste segregation, continuous leachate flow into sewers, groundwater contamination risk, lack of groundwater pollution metering, hazardous exposed wires, and the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation’s (MC) failure to clear environmental compensation dues.
Inspection Findings and Non-Compliance
The affidavit responds to an original application filed by Jalandhar-based social and environmental activist Tejasvi Minhas. PPCB officials conducted an inspection on January 7 and recorded several violations: no segregation of municipal solid waste before dumping, non-compartmentalised waste collection vehicles, multiple fire incidents within the dumpsite, absence of a boundary wall or protective fencing, waste scattered along the approach road, lack of piezometers for groundwater monitoring, and no leachate treatment facility.
The inspection also noted that leachate was stagnating at the site and partially flowing into the sewer network. Continued dumping of waste along the Kala Sanghian Drain was also reported.
Environmental Compensation Dues Unpaid
The PPCB affidavit reveals that despite repeated regulatory proceedings, notices, and hearings since 2019, the Jalandhar MC has made no visible progress in complying with environmental laws. Environmental compensation of Rs 9.30 crore has been imposed on the civic body for violations; only Rs 90 lakh has been deposited, leaving Rs 8.40 crore unpaid.
NGT Hearing Scheduled
The matter is scheduled for hearing before the NGT Principal Bench in New Delhi on July 6, where further directions are expected. Activist Tejasvi Minhas stated, "The PPCB affidavit confirms that the concerns raised in my petition were not speculative — they have been independently verified by the state's own environmental regulator. This isn't merely an administrative lapse, it reflects a continuing ecological crisis affecting air, water, soil and the lives of thousands of residents and animals living around the dumpsite."
