Residents of Delhi’s Bawana are against new waste-to-energy plant — it’s now got a green nod

As per the EC report, the 30-megawatt plant is to be developed under a public-private partnership with Jindal Urban Waste Management (Bawana) Limited in Sector 5 of the Bawana Industrial Area in Northwest Delhi. There are four other WTE plants in the city — Okhla, Ghazipur, Tehkhand and Narela.

The 15-acre plot where the proposed plant is to be developed was allotted by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in February under a concession agreement, the report stated.

As per the report, the plant will process 3,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) per day using refuse-derived fuel (RDF). The firm has also committed to ensuring that “no groundwater shall be used for the proposed project” and that it will operate under a “zero liquid discharge” system.

While pitched as a key step in addressing the city’s waste crisis, the Rs 660-crore project (capital cost) has been met with continued protests.

A JJ colony is located within a kilometre of the proposed project site. During a mandatory public hearing last December, residents objected to the facility and flagged worsening air quality, health risks, and waste handling concerns.

As per the EC report, one of the concerns flagged was: “… Pollution is at its peak, and we, the residents, especially those who are living near the industrial area, are already exhausted due to pollution emerging from industrial units.”

In response, as per the report, the company stated that an “Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System will be installed in the plant to track pollution levels and ensure compliance with environmental regulations…”

Flagging health concerns, residents pointed to an already “big landfill” in the area and noted that the local air quality index remained in the “dangerous zone”. The company responded that the development of any new landfill sites had already been disallowed by the Delhi High Court, the EC report noted.

The company further assured that “all emission parameters from the plant shall be within prescribed limits,” and reiterated the installation of pollution monitoring systems for ongoing compliance.

The issue of job creation was also raised by the community, many of whom asked whether the project would lead to local employment. The company, as per the report, noted the suggestion and stated that “employment will be provided to local people”.

Another area of concern was the large-scale handling of waste and the potential impact on sanitation and worker safety. Addressing this, the company stated that municipal waste would be brought into the facility in closed hook loaders and stored in an enclosed pit maintained under negative pressure to prevent odour. “The WTE plant will not emit odour,” the company said, as per the report, adding that a leachate management system and odour control sprays would be implemented.

The EC was granted based on standard and specific conditions applicable to thermal power projects, including compliance with the Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006.

A natural nallah passes through the site. As per the EC, it will not be diverted. Instead, a green buffer will be developed along its banks and stormwater management systems will be installed. The project also includes a Material Recovery Facility, ash handling systems, and an RDF fuel pit. Non-recyclable ash and rejects will be sent to sanitary and secured landfills designated by the MCD.