okhla landfill

Monsoon To Slow Down Biomining; Oct 2026 New Target

Delhi's okhla landfill, slated for flattening, is reportedly shifting its waste burden to an open plot near Madanpur Khadar Extension, a few hundred metres from the Yamuna. Loaded trucks were observed dumping mixed waste, including plastic and debris, onto the site. This raises concerns about resolving the landfill crisis.

The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has fixed December 31 as deadline for completing work for stabilisation and greenery at the okhla landfill site. SDMC additional commissioner Ramesh Verma said that with concerted efforts, height of the over-saturated 23-year-old landfill has been reduced from 58m to 38m.

Delhi’s three landfills at Bhalswa, Okhla and Ghazipur have collectively caused nearly Rs 450 crore in damage to the environment, as calculated by a committee comprising National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Central Pollution Control Board and IIT, Delhi.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has stopped dumping fresh municipal waste at the okhla landfill after the Tehkhand waste-to-energy (WTE) plant became partially operational recently. The plant consumes around 1,200 tonnes of waste every day, allowing new municipal waste to be diverted from Okhla to Tehkhand.

LG Taranjit Singh Sandhu reviewed bioremediation efforts at the Bhalswa landfill, emphasizing the need to manage both legacy and fresh waste. He urged the adoption of global technologies and community involvement for effective waste segregation. Sandhu also directed immediate fire prevention measures as summer approaches.

While preparing a fresh action plan to raze the garbage mountains at Ghazipur, Bhalswa and okhla landfills, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will have to keep in mind certain challenges that need to be addressed to achieve time-bound results.

The national capital will be cleared of its three "mountains of garbage" by December 2024, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal claimed on Friday while visiting the Okhla site. "The okhla landfill will be cleared by December 2023- January 2024, another mountain by May, and the last one six months later," he said.

Delhi's okhla landfill, which is struggling with the bioremediation of legacy waste, will hire a second agency to speed up the process. The delay in hiring the agency was caused by the non-formation of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Standing Committee. The MCD had aimed to process 18 lakh metric tonnes of waste but only managed to tackle 12 lakh metric tonnes. With the addition of fresh waste, the MCD now faces the challenge of disposing of nearly 38 lakh metric tonnes by May 2024.

Municipal Corporation of Delhi will ensure speedy work at landfill sites after councillors take oath next month, said deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday. Sisodia, along with the nominated mayor candidate for Aam Aadmi Party, Shelly Oberoi, and the deputy mayor candidate, Aaley Mohammad Iqbal, visited the okhla landfill site to inspect the progress of work.

Delhi Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh likened the okhla landfill to Pakistan during an inspection, emphasizing the commitment to remove it. Joined by Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa and MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, he reiterated the pledge to clear legacy waste.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has finally invited tenders for the disposal of 90 lakh tonnes of legacy waste in the city’s three overused landfills through bioremediation and biomining in 18 months. This could help the civic body get rid of at least a third of the 280 lakh tonnes of legacy waste lying at the Ghazipur, Bhalswa and okhla landfills.

MCD's phase II of landfill biomining targets 30 lakh tonnes at Ghazipur, Bhalswa, and 20 lakh at Okhla, following phase I in 2019. Deadlines have been extended due to slow progress and formation delays. Bhalswa's concessionaire succeeded with an additional 13 lakh tonnes. The standing committee will finalize rates after agency identification.

Due to the implementation of GRAP III norms, MCD has halted biomining of legacy waste at the Ghazipur landfill site. Despite completing Phase I at Bhalswa and Okhla, Phase II tenders are on hold. Although MCD received Supreme Court approval, the focus now shifts to dust mitigation and waste-to-energy operations.

Delhi's MCD is tackling its massive landfill problem. Biomining projects at Bhalswa and okhla landfills are set to begin, costing roughly ₹130 crore and ₹82 crore respectively. Ghazipur's project is stalled due to high bids. These projects, delayed for over a year, aim to process millions of tons of legacy waste.

To reduce the burden of legacy waste from Bhalswa, Ghazipur and okhla landfills in a time-bound manner, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has decided to engage big stakeholders.

Residents of east Delhi neighborhoods like Mulla Colony, Okhla, Bhalswa, and Ghazipur struggle with the daily impact of enormous, unmanaged landfills. Despite hopes during elections, they continue to face health hazards, environmental issues, and unsafe living conditions, with minimal change over decades.

To accelerate disposal of municipal waste collected from neighbourhoods, Municipal Corporation of Delhi has set October as the deadline for commissioning of a new waste-to-energy (WTE) plant at Tehkhand. It will consume 2,000 tonnes of waste daily and generate 25 MW power.

The groundwater near the city’s three landfill sites at Bhalswa, Ghazipur and Okhla is highly contaminated with the level of total dissolved solid (TDS), chlorine and hardness being higher than the desired drinking water limit.