By Firasha Shaikh
This policy brief addresses the issue of open air waste dumping near residential areas and what impact this has on the city’s climate resilience. Honing in on a particular case study of a recent incident of waste dumping in a neighborhood in Pune City, the article identifies this issue, not as an isolated incident, but as a common problem across Indian cities and what the factors are behind it. Further , it proposes possible solutions and necessary changes to improve the current state of affairs around this issue, with suggestions for further steps, specifically regarding the Pune City case study.
Background
According to the Pune Pulse (2025) report, since several years, there has been massive dumping of waste in the open air, right behind a residential complex in the Kondhwa area of Pune, contributing to degenerating air quality and perhaps, more urgently, a threat to public safety. Since the past one year, the dumping had increased to the extent that the accumulated, piled-up amounts of mud that now reaches up to a height of three storeys. Although the dumping of mud has stopped for the past month or so, the accumulated mud until this point has been a cause of alarm for residents. They say the piled-up waste is undermining the society’s compound wall and posing health and safety risks, especially as dust spreads during dry, windy days. Despite repeated complaints to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), no decisive action has been taken, and residents are demanding urgent clearance and monitoring of the site.
The land plot on which the waste is being dumped is privately owned land just behind the housing society. The waste-dumping trucks are therefore privately hired contractors (not of PMC). In addition to the dumping of large amounts of mud (which appears to be largely Construction & Demolition – C&D waste), the land is also being used for the segregation and processing of the regular solid waste. The land is a hilly area, and the dumping of such large mounds of mud was used to create a level, plateau-like field. Once this was achieved, the mud dumping stopped, but not before it reached a dangerous level. The waste segregation continues—recyclable vs. non-recyclable; biodegradable or not—of materials such as plastic, paper, etc. Some of the waste is even burnt, further contributing to the degradation of air quality in the area.
The problems encountered in this case study are by no means unique, neither at the level of Pune City, nor at the national level. Other residential areas in Pune are also facing waste disposal challenges. Many Indian cities have been increasingly facing the challenge of open-air waste dumping for years and the situation is worsening with time. One of the major factors, according to experts, is that the expansion of door-to-door waste collection services has not been able to keep pace with the rate of urbanisation (Ghosh, 2025).
In addition, as we see in this particular scenario, one of the major sources of waste in Indian cities is C&D waste and lack of robust infrastructure to dispose of it (CPCB, 2012). Due to this, it proves economically viable to hire private contractors to get rid of the waste, and again, due to lack of oversight, many times these private contractors end up dumping it in illegal ways. Hence, we see this problem most often occurring in peri-urban/semi-urban areas, where development and construction are ongoing, and as a result, tend to get left out of the purview of the city’s municipal government. The lack of implementation of penalties towards defaulters for violations of relevant laws leads to continuation of the issue.
In the Pune case, it can be argued that the waste dumping violates the following laws:
- Environment (Protection) Act (EPA), 1986
The Act is applicable to the Pune case study because the dumping in the area is contributing to air pollution and lowering air quality in the area. Section 7 of the Act states that: “No person shall discharge or emit any environmental pollutant in excess of prescribed standards.”
The waste dump contains dust and particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5) from loose soil, debris, and construction waste. There is also toxic smoke being released from waste burning (plastic, mixed waste). Both are leading to air pollution and residents have even complained to the PMC Health and Sanitation Department about its impact on their health. One resident noted how pre-existing health conditions like asthma and bronchitis which her family members face, are worsening due to degenerating air quality in the area.
- Construction & Demolition Waste Rules, 2016
Unregulated dumping of C&D waste is a direct violation of the C&D Waste Rules which mandate segregation and delivery to authorized processing or disposal facilities (CPCB, n.d). Since it is derived from the EPA, the violator becomes liable for paying fines and even imprisonment under section 15.
- Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act
If the dumping threatens structural safety, PMC is obligated to act to prevent public nuisance and danger (Government of Maharashtra, n.d.).
The problem persists in part because private landowners use vacant plots by asserting their right to undertake activities as they see fit (Tribune News, 2025). However, these activities, such as waste dumping, often end up negatively affecting the surrounding environment and neighbouring residents.
Private activities should not encroach on the safety of other people and their rights, which includes the right to environmental well-being.
Impact on climate-resilience of the city
The mud dump, as well as the waste processing/segregating activities being done in the open air, pose certain environmental risks. Viewed through the perspective of vulnerability-based assessment, the mud dump reveals certain causes for concern which directly impact the neighborhood’s climate resilience capacity. The accumulated mud mound may include construction waste or mixed debris containing concrete dust, paint residues, or chemicals that leach into soil and groundwater, thus causing soil and water contamination.
If the mud begins to collapse, especially during monsoon season, it can cause waterlogging, affecting not only soil health and vegetation but also may end up blocking natural drainage sources. The rains could also result in loose soil washing into drains and blocking them, causing localised flooding in low-lying areas (which is where the housing society is situated).Although this situation has not yet been faced in the Pune locality, according to Planet Smart City (2025), unplanned construction activity along natural drainage paths (such as in this case), leads to blockages which further cause flooding.
The fine PM10 and PM2.5 from dry soil becomes airborne, worsening local air quality and triggering respiratory issues. The dumping is preventing greenery, reducing urban green cover. The exposed soil and debris reflect more heat and reduce percolation, contributing to higher local temperatures. During summer, this may worsen the urban heat island effect.
All of this hampers the ability of the neighbourhood to be prepared in the event of climate-change related natural disasters. The mud dump could cause blockage of natural drainage during monsoon, increasing risk of flooding. The lack of green cover in the area due to it being used as a dumping ground, could increase the urban heat island effect, and this could become worse in case of a heatwave.
The amount of the mud dump near the compound wall may result in lateral soil pressure, leading to cracks or even the collapse of the wall. Therefore, apart from the environmental risk, if left unaddressed, it also threatens the safety of residents (especially children) as well as property (parked vehicles).
The society residents have complained to PMC through bureaucratic channels, such as filing complaints via the municipality’s website, as well as in person, directly approaching the relevant official associated with the area. Despite reassurances, action remains to be taken by the municipality. The residents have thus decided to take up the matter legally and are consulting with an advocate.
Since the housing society falls in a peri-urban area, it tends to be left out of the purview of the municipality and doesn’t have as much oversight/monitoring as other areas. This makes it easier for defaulters such as these to carry out activities that contravene regulations. This particular incident highlights the pitfalls of local self-government structures, i.e. municipal corporations/municipalities in Indian cities, the blind spots of the legal system (application of laws on private individuals), and what this means for the city’s climate resilience capabilities.
Tentative Solutions
The ubiquity of this issue across Indian cities indicates directly need for certain critical governance level interventions that could go a long way in preventing open-air waste dumping. In case of privately owned land, further complications arise in the implementation of laws/regulations.
It begs the question of reconsidering just how far can private landowners be granted exemptions, especially in situations where there are concerns regarding public safety and environmental impact.
Here are some suggested measures:
- Introduce licensing requirements for private landowners to use their land for waste dumping. Some of the things that could be considered for approval are whether or not the dumped waste is causing environmental and public safety hazards. Permits should also be required for levelling of hilly land by dumping waste.
- Dedicated monitoring/tracking cell that monitors activities on private land that could potentially endanger the environment, under the municipal corporation, especially in the “governance grey zones”, i.e. areas that tend to get neglected by municipality. Smart city technologies like GIS-based systems could be utilised for the same.
- Enforcing “polluter-pays” principle. If despite repeated requests, a private landowner refuses to clear waste when it is harming the environment and public safety, then stricter penalties and legal action needs to be undertaken by municipal authorities.
Regulation/inspection checks of waste disposal methods should be done in areas that are often neglected, such as the case study in question, and should extend to private individuals as well.
In this case study, PMC’s responsibility includes the strict implementation of laws that prevent waste dumping near residential areas which should extend to privately-owned land.
Additional Actionable Measures by Residents
Since the residents have already complained to PMC and sought legal aid, additional measures could be to contact other channels of urban governance, other than the municipality, such as the Pune District Collector’s Office and the MPCB (Maharashtra Pollution Control Board). The waste dumping clearly violates environmental laws and is increasing pollution levels in the area, therefore it comes under the MPCB’s purview. Another significant step could be to hold a public meeting (jansunwai) with relevant local elected representatives (corporators) on the need for PMC to take swift action against defaulters of municipal laws, especially with respect to the environment. A court case could possibly facilitate this process, (however it should be noted that the court’s judgment may not necessarily end up in residents’ favour either). Public awareness could be raised on social media about the potential hazards if the issue is left neglected.
Future/Long-Term Measures
Evidently, this issue has many environmental and climate-change-related implications. In order to ensure that such dumping does not occur again, residents could raise the following demands from PMC:
- Conduct an engineering inspection of the structural safety of the compound wall.
- Conduct inspection for any damage to drainage conditions.
Further, the municipality needs to develop a regulation protocol for monitoring/penalising the defaulting individual, and prevention of waste-dumping vehicles from accessing the area.
References:
CPCB – Central Pollution Control Board. (n.d.). Rules under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 — Rule 7 (CPCB). Retrieved November 27, 2025, from https://cpcb.nic.in/rules-7/
CPCB – Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). (2012). Report on Status of Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Collection, Treatment and Disposal in Class I Cities.
Ghosh, P. A., Bobba, E. R., Dodda, S. S., Jasti, V. K., Meka, S., & Reddy Vanga, H. (2025). Scenario of solid waste management in Indian cities: A study of Pune, Visakhapatnam, and Tirupati. Ecology, Economy, and Society – The INSEE Journal, 8(1), 55–76.
Government of Maharashtra. (n.d.). Maharashtra Municipal Corporations Act. Government of Maharashtra. https://mahakamgar.maharashtra.gov.in/
Planet Smart City. (2025). Rainwater management affecting Pune infrastructure. Retrieved November 27, 2025, from https://planetsmartcity.in/rainwater-management-affecting-pune-infrastructure/
Pune Pulse Desk. (2025, October 6). Pune: Kondhwa residents raise alarm over massive dumping behind Kumar Sansar Society, seek urgent PMC action. Pune Pulse. https://www.mypunepulse.com/pune-kondhwa-residents-raise-alarm-over-massive-dumping-behind-kumar-sansar-society-seek-urgent-pmc-action/
Tribune News Service. (2025, October 20). Open house: Should vacant plots be allowed to become garbage disposal sites? The Tribune.
