Hyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is in limbo over establishing three new dumping yards as the city faces a growing waste management crisis, with rising garbage levels and mounting challenges delaying critical expansion plans.The civic body had proposed the dumping sites positioned at the city’s four corners to ease the burden on the existing facility at Jawahar Nagar. However, the plans for three additional dumping yards have encountered several obstacles, including public opposition, defence-related restrictions, objections from real estate developers, and legal disputes. At present, the Jawahar Nagar dumping yard has seen a sharp rise in daily waste intake. The facility, which handled 6,600 metric tonnes (MT) of waste per day in 2021, is now managing 8,600 MT daily in 2025, with plastic waste accounting for 21.28% of the total. So far, the GHMC has identified around 150 acres of land in the Pyaranagar area of Sangareddy, as well as another site in Khanapur, Nagarkurnool — around 100 km from Hyderabad — as potential alternative dumping locations.At the proposed solid waste management facility in Pyaranagar, local residents, including farmers, have staged repeated protests, raising concerns about potential health risks and environmental degradation. Similarly, the Air Force Academy has raised objections, arguing that the facility could attract birds and pose a hazard to aircraft operations within the designated flying zone.GHMC reviewing plans“The expansion of city boundaries and population growth necessitate the development of additional waste disposal facilities. Yet, our proposals face significant resistance from various communities. While there is general agreement that waste management is a shared responsibility and that more disposal sites are needed, there is consistent opposition to situating such facilities near residential areas. However, modern technologies now allow for waste disposal facilities that serve dual purposes — generating energy from refuse while minimising environmental impact,” said a senior official in GHMC’s sanitation wing.GHMC officials are currently reviewing their strategic plan, focusing on developing long-term waste management infrastructure. The corporation has already drafted a comprehensive plan for a waste processing facility at Pyaranagar, incorporating European technology and featuring a 15MW waste-to-energy plant capable of generating 270 tonnes of biogas. Under proposed system, waste will be transported in sealed vehicles, where it will be stored in underground bunkers and sorted into wet and dry categories. Dry waste will be used for power generation, while wet waste will be processed to produce compressed biogas.
