Nagpur’s Bhandewadi Dumpyard Crisis: Fires, Waste Overflow, and Health Risks

thenewsdirt
Apr 25
6 min read

On the edges of Vidarbha's Nagpur, where city streets give way to open stretches of land, the Bhandewadi Dumpyard stands as a significant fixture.

Over the years, this site has grown into one of the city’s most visible and troubling challenges. Marked by heaps of garbage and persistent fires, the dumpyard reflects issues that have built up over decades, deeply affecting the people who live nearby.

A Site Overflowing with Waste

Located about 10 kilometres from Nagpur’s city centre, the Bhandewadi Dumpyard spans 77 acres, with 52 acres allocated for garbage disposal and another 25 acres for sewage treatment.

Over ten years, the site has collected over 39 lakh metric tonnes of waste, a figure that highlights the scale of the city’s waste generation. In 2009-2010, Nagpur produced around 615 metric tonnes of waste daily. By 2025, this figure had grown to approximately 1,450 metric tonnes each day.

The growth in waste production has pushed the capacity of the dumpyard well beyond its limits. Despite ongoing attempts at waste processing, an estimated 8 lakh metric tonnes of untreated waste remained at the site as of 2019.

This backlog continues to add pressure on the system, with the accumulation leading to frequent fires and mounting environmental risks.

Blazes have become a recurring feature at Bhandewadi. One of the most severe incidents took place in April 2025, when a fire broke out on the 19th at 1:24 PM.

The flames burned for more than 48 hours, reaching heights of up to 100 feet and sending thick smoke across eastern parts of the city.

Eight fire tenders were deployed, and strong winds complicated the firefighting efforts. The intensity of the fire damaged one of the fire tenders, though its driver escaped without injury. Such fires have been reported multiple times, including in 2018 and 2020, raising ongoing concerns about the site’s safety and management.

The management of incoming waste at Bhandewadi remains inconsistent. Although agencies such as AG Enviro and BVG India operate waste collection services, only about 20% of the garbage is segregated before disposal.

In 2024, data showed that 32.85% of the monthly waste dumped at the site was mixed, making recycling and waste processing more difficult. The cycle of unsegregated waste adds to the growing mounds, creating the conditions that allow fires to ignite and spread.

The Impact on Health and Everyday Life

The Impact of Garbage on Health and Everyday Life in Nagpur

For the communities surrounding Bhandewadi, the dumpyard has become more than just a disposal site. Neighbourhoods like Tulsi Nagar, Pawanshakti Nagar, and Surjanagar are directly exposed to the smoke and odours from the site. During the hotter months and the rainy season, the effects are particularly harsh.

A 2022 air quality study conducted by the Centre for Sustainable Development found that PM2.5 levels near the dumpyard averaged 115.63 micrograms per cubic metre. This level is more than double India’s prescribed safety standards and nearly eight times the guidelines recommended by the World Health Organisation.

These elevated levels persisted into 2025, with the April fire leading to severe breathing problems for residents. Some families were forced to leave their homes temporarily due to the smoke and heat. Reports during the fire documented indoor temperatures rising above 50°C, creating extreme conditions for those living nearby.

Respiratory issues, asthma, and skin infections are widespread among residents, with children and older adults particularly vulnerable.

Many report ongoing discomfort and health challenges, especially during periods when fires break out. The difficulty of selling property near the dumpyard has also left many residents unable to move away, tying their wellbeing to the landfill’s unresolved condition.

Groundwater contamination is another concern in these areas. A 2018 study pointed to unsafe borewell water in the vicinity of the dumpyard due to leachate seepage.

The contamination affects thousands of households, with risks extending to soil and water quality across the region.

Persistent Management Challenges

Attempts to manage the situation at Bhandewadi have often fallen short of addressing the root causes of the problem. The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has imposed penalties on collection agencies for failing to ensure waste segregation, including fines totalling ₹8 lakh in 2020.

However, the percentage of mixed waste arriving at the site has remained high, limiting the effectiveness of waste processing systems.

The dumpsite has also struggled with basic site security. Fires like the one in April 2025 have led to suspicions of arson.

Unauthorised access to the site by ragpickers and others has continued to increase the risk of such incidents. The landfill’s uneven terrain and the presence of flammable gases such as methane further complicate firefighting efforts. In the 2025 fire, these factors made it difficult for emergency teams to access the core of the blaze.

The broader waste management system in the city reflects these issues. In 2024, the Swachh Bharat survey rated Nagpur with a zero score in the garbage-free category.

The survey identified 341 garbage-prone areas across the city, underlining the gaps in collection and disposal. These systemic issues have slowed the pace of improvement and allowed the crisis at Bhandewadi to continue.

Steps Towards Containment

Over the past few years, certain measures have been introduced to address the challenges at the dumpyard. Biomining efforts began in 2019, intending to reclaim land by processing legacy waste.

Between 2019 and 2021, around 10 lakh metric tonnes of waste were treated, which helped free up 54 acres of land. The current phase of the project targets the processing of an additional 15.3 lakh tonnes, with a completion timeline set for 2026. The work is funded 60% by the central government, with the treatment costing ₹780 per metric tonne.

Additional initiatives include waste-to-energy and recycling projects. One such venture, led by Netherlands-based SusBDe, involves the conversion of waste into compost, compressed biogas, and recyclables.

The city has also established a recycling facility for construction debris and an animal carcass incinerator as part of its broader waste management strategy.

In 2024, discussions on removing the buffer zone around Bhandewadi gained attention. Initially set at 500 metres and later reduced to 300 metres, the buffer zone restricts certain developments near the site. A report from the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute recommended the elimination of this zone, with local political support pushing for its removal.

However, municipal authorities noted that the status of the report’s recommendations remained uncertain.

The NMC has also stepped up its focus on promoting waste segregation at the household level. Awareness campaigns have highlighted the importance of quality over quantity in waste collection practices.

Security at the site is expected to improve with the establishment of a new police station at Bhandewadi, announced for 2025, aiming to reduce unauthorised access and fire risks.

Despite these measures, the scale of the waste problem at Bhandewadi remains significant.

The accumulation of untreated waste, coupled with management gaps, continues to affect both the environment and the lives of those who live nearby.

As the city moves forward with its plans, the challenges at Bhandewadi serve as a reminder of the critical need for consistent and effective waste management practices. For the people living in its shadow, the issue remains an unavoidable part of their everyday lives.