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Delhi's Silt Surge: Despite Clearances, New Mounds Emerge
14 Oct
Summary
- Over 59,000 metric tonnes of silt dumped again at Singhola site.
- New processing facility planned, operational by November 2026.
- NGT took suo motu action after a report on poor waste management.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has reported to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that over 59,173.4 metric tonnes of silt have been deposited again at the Singhola site in north Delhi within the last year, despite prior clearance. This re-dumping occurred even after the MCD had initiated plans for a new waste processing facility.
The civic body has committed to establishing a 700-tonnes-per-day facility to manage fresh waste and silt, aiming to prevent the formation of new accumulations. This facility is anticipated to become operational by November 2026, at which point the existing accumulated silt will be removed.
In October 2026, the MCD stated in an affidavit that the resumption of silt deposition was necessary due to pre-monsoon desilting operations. However, they clarified that only silt extracted from drains during annual desilting processes was deposited.
The NGT had initiated a suo motu case based on a news report from November 4, 2024, which detailed the rise of waste mounds at Singhola and Narela due to poor waste management. The Singhola site, near Singhola Khampur village, was initially used temporarily for two years starting in 2017 for silt diversion and disposal.
By July 2022, about nine lakh metric tonnes of silt had accumulated. Officials confirmed that silt was also deposited by the Public Works Department and the Irrigation and Flood Control Department. Although the site was cleared last year after bio-mining, silt dumping has resumed.
