NEW DELHI: Around 2.16 crore metric tonnes of soild waste has been processed from the three landfill sites, reclaiming a total of 100 acres of land, the Delhi government said. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that garbage mountains had remained a major problem for Delhi residents for years and her government had promised to remove them through a scientific, time-bound approach. She said the government was not only clearing the existing landfill sites but also planning measures to prevent the accumulation of waste in the future.
At Okhla, around 70 lakh metric tonnes of waste has been processed, reclaiming 35 acres of land. At Bhalswa, around 102 lakh metric tonnes of waste has been processed and 45 acres reclaimed. At Ghazipur, around 44 lakh metric tonnes of waste has been processed, reclaiming 20 acres. Together, the three sites have seen the processing of around 2.16 crore metric tonnes of waste and the reclamation of 100 acres of land.
Gupta said the work is not limited to removing waste but is also improving the environment and quality of life for people living in areas surrounding the landfill sites. She said the reclaimed land represented a significant achievement for the capital and the government’s objective was to make these areas cleaner and more liveable.
The inert material recovered after processing waste at Ghazipur is also being put to use for filling low-lying areas and preparing road bases. This, the government said, has ensured scientific processing of waste as well as utilisation of material recovered during the process. Gupta further said the government’s waste-remediation measures are not limited to addressing legacy waste but also involve advance planning for future requirements. Preparations have been completed for setting up four new Waste-to-Energy plants in Delhi.
Once these plants are operational, Delhi will have the capacity to process the waste generated every day, ensuring that garbage does not continue to accumulate and turn into new garbage mountains. The government’s goal is to process the waste Delhi generates every day. The Chief Minister said the necessary infrastructure is also being developed for better waste management in the future, with the objective of making Delhi a cleaner and healthier city with better living conditions.
