Panjab’s Mounting Garbage Crisis; Water-Borne Disease Outbreak in Ferozepur

Panjab’s garbage crisis has spiralled into an environmental hazard. As stricter Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Rules take effect from 1 Apr, civic bodies across the state find themselves in a bind with mountains of uncleared legacy waste, which the municipality cannot handle. Panjab’s 166 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) have a total of 84.09 MMT of legacy waste, of which nearly 41.11 MMT remains to be cleared and complete remediation is not expected before April 2027. Legacy waste means old municipal waste accumulated over the years at dump sites and includes municipal solid waste, industrial waste, hazardous material, and construction debris. It poses serious environmental and public health risks, as it generates toxic leachate that contaminates groundwater. At the same time, cities generate thousands of tons of fresh municipal waste every day, much of which is poorly processed. The upcoming MSW Rules require stricter segregation of waste streams, mapping, and remediation of dumpsites and a time-bound push toward scientific processing. Despite the 2016 MSW Rules being in force for a decade, Panjab’s urban landscape remains ill-prepared to tackle the load that the new rules will bring. Meanwhile, residents of several villages in Fatehgarh Sahib are receiving contaminated drinking water supply. The situation has created constant fear of water-borne diseases amongst the people in the area. Additionally, Hazara Singh Wala village, Ferozepur district on the India-Pakistan border is gripped by a serious water-borne disease outbreak with the number of patients rising to 110. A 12-year-old Sehaj Kaur died on 24 Feb suspectedly from Hepatitis E, triggering widespread fear among the villagers. The outbreak has predominantly affected children and youngsters. The health department collected 24 water samples from households and a school premises. All samples tested were non-potable, reinforcing villagers’ claims about unsafe drinking water. 36 cases tested positive for leptospirosis, a bacterial infection spread through water or soil contaminated with animal urine. Authorities have begun cleaning village ponds and medical camps have been set up by the Health Department. According to the village council head Gurnam Singh, a new pipeline would be required for a lasting solution. He said, ‘Several tanks were without lids. The maintenance contract for the Reverse Osmosis systems expired last year’ (earlier coverage).