Jawaharnagar dumping yard is struggling to manage the growing volumes of garbage

■  Hyderabad generates over 6,000 metric tons of waste daily

■  100-acre site in Lakdaram (Sangareddy district)

■  120.12-acre facility in Pyaranagar

■  200-acre yard in Choutuppal

EKALAVYA MALLEPALLi | Hyderabad 

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is planning to establish three new dumping yards in the city. These include a 100-acre site at Lakdaram in Sangareddy district, a 200-acre yard in Choutuppal, and a 120.12-acre facility in Pyaranagar in Medak, for which the district collector has already granted approval.

Hyderabad’s Jawaharnagar dumping yard, the largest waste disposal site in the city, is struggling to manage the growing volumes of garbage. Spread over 240 acres, the yard has reached its capacity, creating significant environmental challenges.

Groundwater and air quality in a 6-kilometer radius around the yard are severely polluted, impacting areas like Dammaiguda, Haridaspally, Cheriyal, Bandlaguda Colony, and Balaji Nagar.

In 2020, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) introduced a 24 MW waste-to-energy plant at the site, managed by Re Sustainability Limited (formerly known as Ramky Enviro). This facility, the first of its kind in South India, processes a portion of the waste. However, with Hyderabad generating over 6,000 metric tons of waste daily, the plant alone cannot meet the city’s needs.

A. Anjali, a resident of Dammaiguda, told Metro India that the stench from the dumping yard has completely contaminated the groundwater, forcing them to rely on water bubbles for drinking water every day for the past four years. She added, "This is also polluting the atmosphere, and the waste is causing mosquitoes to breed in nearby areas, leading to a worrying rise in diseases."

Earlier, GHMC faced setbacks with a proposed 85-acre dumping yard in Dindigul, as it failed to secure environmental clearance from the Pollution Control Board (PCB) for a waste-to-energy plant.

The development of new dumping yards is expected to reduce the environmental damage caused by Jawaharnagar and provide relief to nearby residents while improving the city’s overall waste management system.

Hyderabad spans 650 square kilometres with a population density of 18,480 people per square kilometre, making efficient waste management a pressing issue. To ease the burden on Jawaharnagar, GHMC is planning to establish three new dumping yards in the city.