Closure of Maharashtra wasteto-energy Plant

November 6, 2026

A waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration plant in Maharashtra’s Sangli district has been shut down following protests by local residents over alleged pollution and its impact on health and agriculture, according to environmental campaigners. The 10-megawatt Bhumi Green Energy plant faced sustained opposition from villagers, who raised concerns about emissions, waste disposal and the contamination of nearby water sources. The closure followed a joint fact-finding exercise by grassroots environmental justice group Paryavaran Rakshan Samiti Sangli; the National Alliance for Climate and Ecological Justice, a forum of the National Alliance of People’s Movements; and the non-profit Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA). The groups alleged widespread failures to comply with environmental and operational requirements at the plant and called for a nationwide ban on waste-to-energy incineration. The closure orders were issued September 23, 2026, by the sub-divisional officer and subdivisional magistrate, Miraj sub-division, Sangli district. The groups’ fact-finding report alleged several breaches of the plant’s pollution-control requirements, including inadequate combustion temperatures, failures in wastewater treatment and improper disposal of ash, who called it “catastrophic non-compliance” at the WTE. According to the report, the plant’s secondary combustion chamber was operating at 230 degrees Celsius, against a stated requirement of at least 950°C under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. The groups warned that operating at lower temperatures could result in incomplete combustion and the release of pollutants, including soot, acid gases, dioxins and furans. The plant’s effluent treatment plant (ETP) was not operating, despite a requirement for continuous 24×7 treatment and zero liquid discharge, the campaigners stated. Untreated leachate was reportedly stored in unlined pits, with wastewater overflowing into local streams that feed the Warana River, the report said. The investigation further alleged that air pollution control equipment, including electrostatic precipitators and wet scrubbers, was not functioning. Heavy black smoke was reportedly escaping from furnace vents and boiler sections.