Delhi's Garbage Mountain Moves to New Spot Near Yamuna

One of Delhi's major landfill sites, the Okhla garbage mountain, is scheduled for flattening within the next four months. However, evidence suggests that waste from this site is being relocated to an open area approximately 10 kilometers away, near the Yamuna River and Madanpur Khadar Extension. This act of dumping effectively transfers the waste crisis without solving it.

During a spot check, trucks from the Okhla landfill were observed transporting waste, including plastic, clothes, glass, and cement blocks, to a muddy, barren land accessible via the Jaitpur-Pushta road. Road rollers and earthmovers were seen leveling the dumped material, creating a scene of dust and sludge with a strong stench of garbage.

Delhi has three main landfill sites: Okhla, Bhalswa, and Ghazipur, with looming deadlines for their clearance. Okhla's deadline is July 2026, followed by Bhalswa in December 2026, and Ghazipur in December 2027. The Okhla landfill currently holds about 23 lakh metric tonnes of waste, a significant portion of which is legacy waste. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) processes thousands of tonnes of waste daily.

An anonymous senior MCD official denied any knowledge of waste being dumped in unauthorized locations, stating that refused-derived material is sent to designated sites. These processed materials include RDF for cement industries, construction and demolition-like material, and inert black soil used for filling low-lying areas. While a significant amount of inert soil has been sent to the NTPC Eco Park, that site is nearing capacity, necessitating the use of alternative low-lying areas.

Another official asserted that no large-scale dumping is occurring outside designated areas and promised strict action if such activities are found. This situation echoes previous reports of unremediated landfill water being dumped in low-lying areas to combat waterlogging.