NEW DELHI: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is set to launch a tree plantation drive on more than 20 acres of reclaimed land at the Okhla landfill site as it moves closer to clearing the decades-old garbage mound.
According to officials, the plantation drive to turn the landfill sites into green zones will begin on land reclaimed after biomining the waste.
The site is on course to eliminate the mountains of garbage and fresh waste before December this year, they added.
Around 23 acres of the original 1996 dumpsite at Okhla have already been reclaimed, which is more than one-third of the total area.
While conducting an inspection of the site last week, Delhi Mayor Pravesh Wahi said the processing of legacy (old) waste was almost complete, with only about a week’s work remaining.
“The legacy waste has been almost remediated. Work has started on the fresh waste that is coming in,” Wahi stated. Officials also mentioned that all legacy waste generated before January 1, 2025, has been processed, and the focus has now shifted to handling fresh waste reaching the site.
Expressing confidence that the target would be met, the mayor said that the landfill would be cleared before December. “After coming here, I am satisfied that we are close to achieving our target. As you can see, 23 acres have already been freed from garbage,” he said during the visit.
Officials said the civic body has set December 2026 as the deadline to completely clear the Okhla landfill, although monsoon may slow the biomining process.