NEW DELHI: Union minister for housing and urban affairs Manohar Lal on Saturday reviewed the ongoing legacy waste remediation work at the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s (MCD) Bhalswa sanitary landfill (SLF) site in north Delhi, where the remaining waste mound is expected to be cleared by December.
The minister directed the civic body to expedite the newly awarded work for processing fresh waste arriving at the site so that the pace of remediation is further accelerated and scientific management of incoming waste is ensured without delay.
Underscoring the government’s continued focus on accelerating remediation and monitoring the progress of legacy waste clearance, officials said the dumpsite is likely to be cleared by December.
During the inspection, MCD Commissioner Sanjeev Khirwar and senior officials from the Delhi government’s Department of Urban Development and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) were present.
“During the on-site review, MCD informed the minister that till July, 99.07 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of legacy waste has been remediated at Bhalswa dumpsite, and the remaining mound of legacy waste is expected to be cleared by October 15, while the waste accumulated up to March 2026 is targeted for clearance by December 2026,” said officials.
The inspection highlighted the sustained priority accorded by the ministry to the time-bound clearance of legacy waste and the comprehensive remediation of the dumpsite, officials added.
The Bhalswa site, spread over 70 acres, was commissioned in 1994 and declared exhausted in 2006, though dumping continued. It receives over 2,000 MT of waste every day from 41 wards covering localities such as Karol Bagh, Rajinder Nagar, Patel Nagar, Anand Parbat, Pitampura, Sadar Bazaar, Civil Lines, Bara Hindu Rao and the Walled City, falling under three zones, Keshav Puram, Karol Bagh and Sadar Paharganj-City zones.
The Delhi government has planned to develop an inter-state bus terminal (ISBT) at the reclaimed Bhalswa landfill site.