A 10 MW waste-to-energy incineration plant in Maharashtra’s Sangli district has been shut following protests by villagers over alleged pollution and its impact on public health, agriculture and local water sources. Closure orders were issued on September 23, 2026, by the sub-divisional officer and sub-divisional magistrate of the Miraj sub-division.
The Bhumi Green Energy plant faced sustained opposition over emissions, wastewater treatment and ash disposal. The shutdown followed a joint fact-finding exercise by Paryavaran Rakshan Samiti Sangli, the National Alliance for Climate and Ecological Justice, and the Centre for Financial Accountability. The groups alleged that the facility had failed to comply with several environmental and operational requirements.
According to the groups’ report, the plant’s secondary combustion chamber was operating at 230°C, compared with the stated minimum requirement of 950°C under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. They said lower temperatures could lead to incomplete combustion and the release of pollutants, including soot, acid gases, dioxins and furans.
The report also alleged that the effluent treatment plant was not operating despite requirements for continuous treatment and zero liquid discharge. Untreated leachate was allegedly stored in unlined pits and overflowed into streams feeding the Warana River. The groups further claimed that electrostatic precipitators and wet scrubbers were not functioning, while black smoke escaped from furnace and boiler sections.
The campaigners said online emissions data was not being transmitted to the Central Pollution Control Board or the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board. They also alleged that fly ash was left uncovered and that bottom ash was used to fill low-lying land at at least 20 locations. The plant’s installed capacity was 10 MW, equivalent to about 7.2 million units of electricity a month at full capacity, but average generation was reported at 2.38 mn units, or 33 per cent of that level. The groups cited the findings in calling for a nationwide ban on waste-to-energy incineration and greater emphasis on reducing waste generation.
This article was originally published in Construction World you can read it here.
