NEW DELHI: LG Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Monday visited Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD)’s Bhalswa landfill to review the ongoing bioremediation work aimed at flattening the mountain of garbage.While inspecting the site, Sandhu told officials to address the issue of not only legacy waste but also the continuous inflow of fresh waste.He noted that while significant progress has been made since PM Modi, on Swachhata Diwas 2021, flagged the three landfill sites in Delhi — Bhalswa, Ghazipur and Okhla — as “mountains of shame” and called for their removal, considerable work remains.Sandhu inspected trommelling machines involved in segregation and remediation and witnessed how municipal solid waste is converted into refuse-derived fuel used in waste-to-energy plants, construction and demolition material for reuse and inert material primarily used for filling purposes.The LG advised the corporation to explore emerging global technologies in waste management and accelerate outcomes by adopting international benchmarks. He also emphasised the need to involve resident welfare associations (RWAs) and traders’ associations in markets in promoting segregation of waste at source into dry and wet categories, noting that proper segregation is key to faster and more effective bioremediation.With summer approaching, Sandhu directed the civic body to urgently implement preventive measures to avoid incidents of fire at the city’s dump sites.Officials informed him that Bhalswa landfill, spread over 70 acres, received around 73 lakh metric tonnes of waste as of Nov 2022. Of this, 45 lakh MT was biomined by Dec 6, 2024. Subsequently, about 39.8 lakh MT, including fresh waste added at a rate of nearly 4,000 MT a day, was also processed.Currently, around 13.5 lakh MT of legacy waste and 14 lakh MT of fresh waste accumulating at the landfill since March 2025 are yet to be biomined. Extra trommelling machines are being deployed to expedite the process.Sandhu also interacted with workers at the site to understand their concerns and learn about their working conditions. He directed authorities that all necessary health and safety safeguards for the workers should be ensured by concessionaires.
