Committee asks BMC to prepare green belt plan for Kanjur dump

MUMBAI: The monitoring committee overseeing the Kanjurmarg municipal solid waste processing facility has directed the BMC to prepare a comprehensive green belt development plan within 15 days and strengthen environmental monitoring systems at the site, according to the minutes of its third meeting held on April 29. The meeting comes in the wake of recent developments surrounding the landfill, which also saw a team of two judges, Girish Kulkarni and Aarati Sathe, visit the site on April 25. Currently, around 6,300 metric tonnes (MT) of municipal solid waste from across Mumbai is transported daily to the Kanjurmarg dumping ground. This is almost 90% of the city's daily waste that is generated. The monitoring committee, comprising experts from IIT Bombay, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), NEERI, serving and retired IAS officers, and a former head of Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute, was constituted through a govt resolution dated Jan 2, 2026. Several key decisions were taken at the committee meeting, chaired by senior officials and attended by members and civic officers. The panel asked the civic body to take expert assistance, particularly from NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute) for designing a structured green belt at the Kanjurmarg facility. The proposed plan will include a three-tier plantation system comprising outer, middle and inner zones, with emphasis on phytoremediation species that can absorb atmospheric pollutants. The committee also suggested the use of compost generated on-site as organic fertiliser for plantation work. The panel further recommended the formal appointment of NEERI to conduct methane auditing at the bio-reactor landfill area and other operational zones, identify methane hotspots, and suggest mitigation measures. It also tasked the institute with mapping odour sources inside and outside the facility, including assessment through heat sensors, thermal imaging and drone surveys. NEERI has been asked to submit its terms of reference at the earliest. To improve oversight of operations, the panel directed BMC to deploy dedicated manpower at the Kanjurmarg facility between 1 am and 6 am for the next 7 days. The team will monitor waste quality, particularly wet and kitchen waste, track night-time waste inflow, and assess odour intensity in surrounding areas.