Aafrin Kidwai 
Representational image by Aafrin Kidwai
The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has said it will penalize the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation for its failure to manage the city’s solid waste.
Officials from the PPCB noted that the city’s lack of solid waste management was causing air and water contamination. Around 20 lakh metric tonnes of waste had piled on the municipal corporation’s main dumpsite on Tajpur Road, which is spread over 40 acres of land.
Since February 2021, when A2Z company’s solid waste management contract with the city expired, no waste processing has taken place at the site. Every day, the city generates over 1,100 metric tonnes of waste, which is thrown in the landfill. According to officials from the municipal government, fires erupt at the main dumpsite due to the production of highly flammable methane gas.
On Friday night, a massive fire broke out at the site and burned for about 19 hours.
