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Shimla, May 16
Himachal Pradesh High court directed the Executive Officer of Municipal Council Manali and representatives of Santan Life Pvt. Ltd. to remain personally present before the court on the next date of hearing while expressing serious concern over the handling of legacy waste in Manali.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Bipin Chandra Negi passed the order on May 15 after observing that improper waste segregation and inadequate processing were posing a threat to the fragile ecology of the tourist resort.
The court observed that the failure of Municipal Council Manali to segregate waste before dumping it at the treatment facility was contributing to pollution of the Beas River.
The Bench also objected to the proposal of transporting legacy bio-waste to Ambala for treatment, stating that carrying waste nearly 300 kilometres through the National Highway would itself create environmental hazards.
As per records placed before the court, the waste management plant in Manali is receiving 28.78 tonnes per day (TPD) of municipal solid waste, out of which 24.62 TPD is mixed waste. The figures revealed that nearly 85 per cent of waste reaching the plant is unsegregated, while only 15 per cent is segregated at source.
The court also noted that only 2.15 TPD of waste was being transported for processing, leaving an average gap of 13.68 TPD between waste generation and disposal capacity.
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The Bench observed that the statistics reflected serious shortcomings in waste segregation and scientific disposal mechanisms.
During the hearing, it was also submitted that construction of two additional sheds for pre-treatment of biodegradable waste was underway and likely to be completed by the end of April 2026.
The High Court further noted that compensation imposed earlier had still not been deposited either by MC Manali or Santan Life Pvt. Ltd.
Manali, one of Himachal Pradesh’s most visited tourist destinations, witnesses massive tourist inflow round the year, leading to sharp increase in municipal waste generation. The court observed that continued accumulation of untreated legacy waste could adversely impact tourism, public health and the ecologically sensitive Himalayan environment.
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