Delhi: Bhalswa to be cleared by next March, no new mountain of garbage to be created, says Environment Minister Sirsa

“I would like to thank L-G V K Saxena for his efforts in clearing Delhi of all three mountains of garbage at Bhalswa, Okhla, and Ghazipur. The Bhalswa landfill was once a 70-acre mountain of garbage. Since the L-G started work on this, 35% of the waste has been removed,” Sirsa said.

“Of the 70 acre, 25 acre has been reclaimed, and today, we have planted 2,000 bamboo saplings on 5 acre of the reclaimed land,” he added.

“By December 2025, the waste will be reduced to a point where it will no longer be visible (from a distance). The Bhalswa landfill will be completely cleared by March 2026. Our biggest goal is to ensure that work continues at all three landfill sites, preventing the formation of new mountains of garbage,” he said.

However, even as work to reclaim Bhalswa landfill has been going on since 2019, clearing the whole mountain of garbage might still prove to be an uphill task, as fresh waste continues to be dumped at the site.

Biomining at Bhalswa landfill was initiated in 2019 following directions from the National Green Tribunal. An estimated 80 lakh MT waste was surveyed to be at the area in 2019, of which 74 lakh MT has been processed and disposed of, as per an MCD report dated February 28.

However, what’s left at the site is not just 6 lakh MT of the waste that is yet to be processed — 44 lakh MT of additional waste has been dumped at the landfill site since then.

At the landfill site, Saxena said, “…in the coming one-and-a-half months, 54,000 bamboo saplings will be planted.” He added that bamboo saplings have been chosen for plantation as they release 30% more oxygen and require less water. “…in the near future, instead of garbage mountains, people traveling on the highway will witness a lush green landscape,” Saxena said.

Lauding Saxena’s efforts in tackling Delhi’s challenges and acting as a protective force during the AAP government’s tenure, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta likened his role to the shila (rock) that shielded the Kedarnath Temple during the devastating floods of 2013.

“When a cloudburst struck Kedarnath, a rock stood firm and shielded the temple from being washed away. Similarly, L-G Saxena has acted as that protective force, ensuring that Delhi, our temple, is safeguarded during the AAP government,” she said.

“…the L-G has worked to protect and improve Delhi, just as that rock protected the Kedarnath temple,” she said.