Delhi Reviews Landfill Cleanup, Pushes for Full Waste Processing By 2026

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Mayor Sardar Raja Iqbal Singh took stock of the city's solid waste management efforts, with a sharp focus on landfill cleanup and upcoming waste-to-energy projects.

Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood and senior officials from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), including Deputy Mayor Jai Bhagwan Yadav, Leader of the House Pravesh Wahi, Standing Committee Chairperson Satya Sharma, and MCD Commissioner Ashwani Kumar participated in this closed-door meeting.

The ongoing biomining operations at the city's three massive legacy dump sites - Ghazipur, Bhalswa, and Okhla - which continue to tower over residential neighborhoods despite repeated deadlines. Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh said that biomining output has increased to 30,000 tonnes per day as of this month, up from 25,000 TPD till July this year.

"We are on track for full reclamation before 2026," he said after the meeting.

Ms Gupta called for strict adherence to the timeline and pressed officials to plan for post-reclamation land use.

"One-third of the reclaimed space must be reserved for public infrastructure - schools, hospitals, and sports complexes," she said, directing MCD to ensure the remaining area is developed for "future-ready" waste treatment infrastructure.

The mayor also announced a major regulatory breakthrough - environmental clearance for a 3,000 TPD waste-to-energy plant in Narela-Bawana has been secured. In parallel, bids have been floated for a new WTE plant at Ghazipur, with the Centre giving in-principle approval for Viability Gap Funding (VGF) to support the project.

In a key push toward decentralised wet waste management, a 100 TPD compressed biogas (CBG) plant at Ghoga Dairy is slated for inauguration on August 15. "This is a model we aim to replicate across other dairy hubs," said an official, confirming that more such biogas units are under consideration.

The meeting also flagged the urgent need to ramp up processing facilities to handle growing volumes of municipal waste. MCD officials said proposals for additional CBG plants and smaller decentralised units are in the works, especially to tackle organic and dairy waste.

With barely 18 months left until the landfill cleanup deadline, officials admitted that meeting full targets will be challenging. But both the chief minister and the mayor underscored that the capital cannot afford any further delays.

"We owe Delhiites a clean, safe, and sustainable city," Mr Singh said, adding, "We're moving decisively - but the real work is just beginning."