In a significant development in proceedings before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), Principal Bench, New Delhi, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has filed a detailed affidavit highlighting serious environmental violations and continued mismanagement at Jalandhar’s Wariana dumpsite.
The 40-year-old dumpsite, estimated to contain nearly 20 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste and rising about 50-metre high, has long symbolised the city’s waste management crisis. According to the affidavit, the site continues to violate multiple provisions of the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2016.
Key issues flagged include absence of waste segregation, continued flow of leachate, contamination of ground water, no metering of groundwater pollution, hazardous exposed wires and the Jalandhar MC’s failure to clear environmental compensation dues.
The affidavit, filed by Jatinder Soni, Environmental Engineer, PPCB, Regional Office, Kapurthala, presents a serious picture of continued non-compliance by the Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar, with the SWM Rules, 2016.
The PPCB affidavit has been filed in response to the original application filed by Jalandhar-based social and environmental activist Tejasvi Minhas.
According to the PPCB, despite repeated regulatory proceedings, notices and hearings since 2019, no visible progress has been achieved by the MC in ensuring the compliance with environmental laws.
During an inspection conducted on January 7, PPCB officials recorded several violations at the site, including the absence of segregation of municipal solid waste before dumping, non-compartmentalised waste collection vehicles, multiple fire incidents within the dumpsite, lack of a boundary wall or protective fencing, waste scattered along the approach road, absence of piezometers for groundwater monitoring, and the lack of a 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.
In one of the most significant observations contained in the affidavit, the PPCB has stated that the Jalandhar MC continues to remain in gross violation of the SWM Rules, 2016, despite repeated opportunities, statutory notices, hearings and directions issued by the board as well as earlier directions of the National Green Tribunal.
The affidavit further revealed that environmental compensation of ₹9.30 crore has been imposed on the civic body for violations of environmental laws. While ₹90 lakh has been deposited, dues amounting to ₹8.40 crore remain unpaid.
The matter is now scheduled for hearing before the National Green Tribunal, Principal Bench, New Delhi, on July 6, where further directions are expected.
Activist Tejasvi Minhas said, “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."
