Punjab’s Major Cities Face Mounting Crisis as Landfill Sites Become Unmanageable
Punjab’s leading urban centres—Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar—are facing a growing solid-waste emergency as landfill sites continue to expand and legacy waste piles reach alarming levels. Despite repeated planning efforts over the past 15 years, basic waste segregation and effective processing systems remain largely absent.
Ludhiana currently generates the highest daily waste at approximately 1,100 MT, followed by Jalandhar at 630 MT and Amritsar at 520 MT. Most of this waste continues to be dumped without segregation, contributing to massive legacy mounds: an estimated 25 LMT in Ludhiana, 16 LMT in Jalandhar and 33 LMT in Amritsar.
In 2024, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) imposed a penalty of nearly ₹1,000 crore on the Punjab Government for its failure to manage solid and liquid waste. Though the Supreme Court granted a stay, the Local Bodies Department continues to struggle to implement sustainable long-term solutions.
Last month, the government issued 1,726 tenders to improve solid waste management systems across all municipal committees. However, the plan was disrupted following a statewide 10-day strike by safai karamcharis and concerns over the model’s financial viability for smaller towns.
In Jalandhar, past efforts—including contracts with Jindal Urban Infrastructure Limited and A2Z Waste Management—collapsed due to land disputes and logistical challenges. Many proposed solutions, such as underground bins and community composting, have remained largely unexecuted. Currently, only 0.4% of Jalandhar’s daily waste is being processed at the Material Recovery Facility in Pholariwal.
A significant breakthrough has emerged with the start of bio-mining at the Wariana landfill site, managed by Maharashtra-based Sagar Motors. The contractor has begun clearing approximately 2,000 tonnes of legacy waste per day, marking the first major progress after years of stalled attempts.
Meanwhile, Hoshiarpur has launched a focused pilot project led by Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain. This model emphasises strict household-level segregation, synchronised collection schedules to prevent roadside dumping, separate wet-waste collection from commercial establishments, and partnerships with industry—such as a tile manufacturer in Aurangabad willing to repurpose plastic waste.
Across Punjab, one message is clear: decentralised systems, active community participation, and strict enforcement of segregation norms are critical to prevent the state’s waste crisis from escalating further.
