Editor Mr.Mayank Rawat ( Chief Editor Mr. Rohit Mishra )
New Delhi: Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will appoint an additional expert agency to expedite the flattening of the Okhla landfill and biomining of legacy waste, mayor Raja Iqbal Singh said on Thursday.“The initiative to engage a third concessionaire is aimed at flattening the dumpsite before the March 2027 deadline,” Singh said after a joint inspection of the site with environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa and BJP’s South Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri.MCD had launched Phase II of integrated biomining work at Okhla in Dec and tasked the agency with processing 20 lakh metric tonnes in 18 months. At present, about 30 lakh MT of legacy waste still lies at the landfill. According to recent data, more than 6.5 lakh MT has been processed under Phase II.“Although fresh waste is not dumped at the landfill anymore, we are sending the silt collected after the cleaning of drains. We also plan to divert the waste from Ghazipur landfill to this site from time to time as it has unstable slopes and space constraints during the monsoon season. Ghazipur has about 84 lakh MT legacy waste, apart from the daily garbage. The new agency will treat the additional waste generated,” Singh said.He further added, “These landfill sites are like Pakistan. They spread terrorism, and it spreads filth.”Assuring that the dumpsites would “disappear like dinosaurs”, Sirsa said, “By Oct, MCD will remove 20 lakh MT legacy garbage from Okhla, and all garbage mountains will be eliminated from Delhi by 2028.”He added, “More than 30 acres of the landfill have been successfully reclaimed, with its height brought down drastically from 60 metres to 20 metres. Since Phase I of biomining began in 2019, a total of 56 lakh MT legacy waste has been scientifically processed using modern segregation and remediation techniques. Another 20 lakh MT is being taken up under Phase 2 (extendable by 10 lakh MT). While the deadline is Dec 2025, work is currently progressing ahead of schedule, with a revised internal target of Oct.“Sirsa claimed BJP govt was working tirelessly to achieve what the previous AAP govt could not in 10 years. “The biomining project not only aims to reclaim urban land, but also contributes to reducing fire risk, controlling leachate contamination, and significantly improving the quality of life for residents in surrounding localities,” he added.Bidhuri said the waste lying at Okhla was the biggest problem in his area. “According to information provided by municipal officials, this garbage mountain will be cleared before 2026, and a green area will be developed. The residents of the nearby colonies are troubled by the odour, and the changes will help them a lot,” he added.
Mayank Rawat
