Living near Hyderabad’s mountain of poison

For years, scientific studies have warned that the Jawaharnagar dumpyard is contaminating groundwater. Now, with the University of California ranking it among the world’s four most polluted dumpyards, does an on-ground check of issues affecting residents here

From nearly four km away, the air begins to turn murky. Thick smoke and a pungent smell create an immediate sense of discomfort. Another kilometre later, the source comes into view: a towering mound of waste — the Jawaharnagar dump yard. While its environmental toll has been widely discussed over the years, TOI’s recent ground report — following a study by the University of California that ranked it among the world’s four most polluting sites — lays bare the lived reality behind those statistics.

The facility receives about 9,000 metric tonnes of waste every day from across Hyderabad.

The first sensation upon arrival is immediate: a burning throat and an unbearable stench. The smell is largely from methane emissions, which environmentalists have repeatedly highlighted are not just unpleasant but extremely dangerous. The University of California study showed that the dump yard releases an estimated 5.9 tonnes of methane per hour — equivalent to the pollution caused by one million SUVs on the road.

High methane emissions

“Methane is 24 times more harmful than carbon dioxide,” said TV Ramachandra from the energy and wetlands department at the Indian Institute of Science. “Large-scale methane emissions from dump sites significantly accelerate climate change, driving faster temperature rise and extreme weather events, apart from their severe impact on human health. Unlike controlled landfills, open dumps release methane directly into the atmosphere, compounding environmental risks and undermining climate mitigation efforts,” he said.

Within an hour at the site, the effects are undeniable — nausea, headache and suffocation.

Alarmingly, for the more than 2,000 residents living in bastis less than 500 metres from the site — some for as long as 15 years — inhaling toxic gases, consuming water contaminated with leachate, and eating produce grown in heavy metal-laden soil has become routine.

“We have a two-monthold child who falls sick frequently. We are scared she will also go through the same health issues because of the facility,” said B Mallikarjun, who lives in a basti separated from the dump yard by just a small wall. “My wife has constant headaches and I have a throat infection. When the stench grows stronger, it leads to vomiting,” he added.
Leachate poisoning
One of the most pressing concerns residents highlight is leachate — a highly toxic liquid formed when water seeps through waste. “It flows into our backyard. The kids in my lane have patches all over their bodies because they play outside and end up coming into contact with the leachate,” Mallikarjun said, pointing to the feet of a fiveyear-old child with visible skin patches.

Though many households have received Manjeera water supply since 2022, borewell water, still used for daily chores, remains highly contaminated. A study published in Journal of the Geological Society of India in 2022 concluded that nearby surface water bodies have turned into leachate pools and groundwater in the affected zone is unfit for any use.

Heavy metals in soil
The soil, too, is riddled with heavy metals. A study on the dumpyard by Madupoju Srudeepthi and P Manikya Reddy, published in an international journal, found alarming levels of lead, chromium, zinc, cobalt, tin, cadmium, arsenic and methyl mercury. “Over the last two decades, we have seen so many people across age groups die due to pulmonary diseases and other chronic conditions. Most of those still living have a history of respiratory problems, kidney failure or severe skin allergies,” said 65-year-old Anjamma. Her eyes welled up as she pointed to homes in her neighbourhood that had witnessed recent deaths.

Beyond the landfill, emissions from adjacent waste-to-energy plants compound the crisis, residents said. Ash and chemicals released at high temperatures, along with toxic gases, continue to affect air quality in surrounding areas.

Shelesh Sandeep Raj, a resident, says: “There are two waste-to-energy plants, one of 24 MW and another of 12.5 MW run by Re-Sustainability Ltd in collaboration with GHMC. They can process 1,500 metric tonnes daily. The rest piles up.”

Repeated calls to Re-Sustainability failed to elicit a response.