Delhi CM Rekha Gupta lays foundation of waste processing, biogas plant; inspects Okhla landfill

The civic body’s survey identified approximately 125,000 cattle across Delhi, which generate roughly 1,500 tons of dung daily. (Express Photo)

In a move aimed at increasing Delhi’s capacity to process fresh waste, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is setting up three new waste-processing plants at Okhla, Singhola and Ghazipur, along with a 300-TPD (tonnes per day) biogas plant at Ghazipur. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday laid the foundation stones for the three plants and the biogas facility, virtually from the Okhla landfill site and carried out a site inspection as well.

Delhi generates around 13,500 tonnes of municipal waste every day, while MCD currently processes around 60 per cent of the waste generated in the city. The three new plants will add 2,900 TPD of fresh-waste processing capacity, helping bridge the gap between the waste generated and the quantity being scientifically processed. The Okhla plant will have a capacity of 1,400 TPD, while the Singhola and Ghazipur plants will process 800 TPD and 700 TPD, respectively.

The civic body’s survey identified approximately 125,000 cattle across Delhi, which generate roughly 1,500 tons of dung daily. MCD was directed by central and state authorities to intercept this waste and prevent it from entering city drains and polluting the Yamuna. A 300-TPD biogas plant for biodegradable waste is being set up at Ghazipur to prevent this waste from entering and polluting Yamuna.

The projects are aimed at strengthening Delhi’s fresh-waste processing infrastructure and preventing waste generated each day from adding to the burden of the existing landfills. The civic body is also constructing two more decentralised fresh-waste processing plants with a combined capacity of nearly 3,000 TPD, which will be operational in the coming year, officials said. Biogas plants at Goyla and Ghoga are set to be operational in the next two months, they added.

Meanwhile, Gupta, during her inspection of Okhla landfill site on Saturday, reviewed the status of waste disposal, land reclaimed and the capacity of the new processing facilities. She directed officials to make the new units operational at the earliest and at their full capacity.

The expansion of fresh-waste processing capacity comes alongside efforts to clear legacy waste from Delhi’s three landfill sites. According to government figures, 217.17 lakh metric tonnes of waste have been disposed of from Okhla, Bhalswa and Ghazipur over the past 18 months, freeing nearly 100 acres of land.MCD officials said the Okhla and Bhalswa landfill sites are expected to be cleared within three months, while the target for clearing Ghazipur is December 2027.

Gupta said clearing the existing landfills would not be sufficient and that the system for processing fresh waste generated every day needed to be strengthened to prevent new garbage mountains from forming.