CM sets deadline to clear landfills, orders fast-tracking of WTE projects

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to clear three of the Capital’s landfill sites – Ghazipur, Bhalswa, and Okhla – by December 2026.

Chairing a high-level review meeting on solid waste management on Wednesday, Ms. Gupta ordered fast-tracking of biomining and waste-to-energy (WTE) projects to tackle the city’s mounting garbage crisis.

Three months ago, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa had stated that the BJP government planned to eliminate the three landfills by December 2028.

According to MCD data, nearly 153 lakh metric tons (MT) of waste is piled up across the three landfill sites. Ghazipur alone holds 82 lakh MT, including 19 lakh MT of fresh waste, Bhalswa 42 lakh MT, while Okhla holds over 28 lakh MT.

Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh said the MCD has scaled up biomining capacity from 15,000 tonnes per day (TPD) to 25,000 TPD. “We will also accelerate the commissioning of waste projects,” he said, adding that new tenders would be floated to handle the remaining legacy waste. Currently, 56 trommels, screening machines used for waste separation, are deployed at the sites.

WTE capacity gaps

Delhi generates around 11,300 MT of waste daily, but its four operational WTE plants – at Bawana, Tekhand, Okhla, and Ghazipur – process just 7,300 MT. The rest continues to be dumped at landfills. Two new plants are planned: a 3,000 TPD facility at Narela-Bawana, which will be operational by December 2027, and a 2,000 TPD facility at Ghazipur, to be completed by December 2028.

Expansions of the Okhla and Tekhand plants will also add 1,000 TPD each by 2027 with the Centre committing ₹50 crore as viability gap funding for Okhla, officials said. Although these timelines clearly overshoot Ms. Gupta’s 2026 deadline, the MCD officials said efforts will be made to advance commissioning.

Will resolve bottlenecks

“After the CM’s direction, we will accelerate work,” said an MCD official, adding that some projects are already facing delays due to issues like relocation of power transmission lines. Ms. Gupta assured that her office would intervene to resolve such bottlenecks. “This is not just an MCD issue. Timely execution will require integrated efforts and full inter-agency cooperation,” the Chief Minister said.