NEW DELHI: Delhi’s Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Thursday said the government is intensifying efforts to clear the Capital’s legacy waste, asserting that the towering garbage mounds will vanish in the next five years “just like dinosaurs.”
During an inspection of the Ghazipur landfill site, Sirsa said the government is working “on a war footing” to eliminate the long-standing garbage heaps across the city. He said that around 14 to 15 lakh metric tonnes of the total 70 lakh metric tonnes of waste at Ghazipur have already been processed, with biomining work gaining momentum.
“I want to offer my commitment that the garbage mountains in Delhi will disappear just like dinosaurs,” he said.
Sirsa further said that in the next six months, the pace of processing is expected to increase significantly, reaching around 7,000 to 8,000 metric tonnes of waste per day.
To accelerate the process, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has been instructed to ensure that the new contractor achieves a daily target of at least 8,000 metric tonnes within four to five months. “If they fail to meet the target, a penalty will be imposed,” he said.
To further boost progress, the government is also exploring the possibility of roping in an additional agency to support waste processing at the site.
“We are monitoring the progress daily through a dashboard at the secretariat. This is a commitment made in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, and we are determined to meet it without fail,” Sirsa added. He stressed that the cleanup drive is being taken seriously, with every effort directed toward the complete removal of garbage mounds across the city.
“The work is moving swiftly,” he said, reaffirming the government’s goal to eliminate the landfill sites entirely over the next five to six years.
The city has three major landfills at Bhalswa, Okhla and Ghazipur, the largest of the three. Together, these landfills hold over 160 lakh tonnes of legacy waste.
Despite efforts to address the issue, 3,000-3,500 tonnes of fresh waste continue to be dumped daily at Ghazipur and Bhalswa alone. MCD officials say that 58 trommel machines are currently deployed at the three landfill sites — 22 at Bhalswa, 25 Ghazipur, and 11 at Okhla.
Despite repeated promises, the deadline to clear these mounds has been extended several times. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) recently pushed the deadline to December 2028.
3,000-3,500 tonnes of waste get dumped
Despite efforts to address the issue, 3,000-3,500 tonnes of fresh waste continue to be dumped daily at Ghazipur and Bhalswa alone. MCD officials say that 58 trommel machines are currently deployed at the three landfill sites — 22 at Bhalswa, 25 Ghazipur, and 11 at Okhla. Despite repeated promises, the deadline to clear these mounds has been extended several times. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) recently pushed the deadline to December 2028.