3 min readMumbaiMay 7, 2026 10:09 PM IST
First published on: May 7, 2026 at 03:23 PM IST
A Bombay High Court-appointed committee monitoring pollution at Mumbai’s only operational landfill has recommended urgent measures to tackle methane emissions and foul odour at Kanjurmarg, a site that processes 86 per cent of the city’s daily waste and has previously been identified among the world’s top 25 methane hotspot zones.
The Kanjurmarg landfill processes around 6,100 metric tonnes (MT) of waste daily, accounting for nearly 86 per cent of Mumbai’s daily garbage generation.
The committee submitted its report to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), recommending a series of short- and long-term measures, including relocation of material recovery facilities (MRFs), improved soil cover and the setting up of waste-to-energy and bio-methanation plants.
The HC had constituted the committee in January following concerns that garbage dumping activities at the site were violating citizens’ right to a healthy environment under Article 21 of the Constitution.
One of the panel’s key recommendations is a methane audit of the landfill and adjoining areas to identify emission hotspots. Once identified, the BMC has been asked to implement mitigation measures to curb methane emissions.
To mitigate odour dispersion, the panel proposed relocating the two material recovery facilities within the landfill (Express Photo by Deepak Joshi)
Operational since February 2011, the Kanjurmarg landfill uses bio-reactor landfill technology, which accelerates waste decomposition by maintaining optimum moisture levels. However, the process also generates methane, a highly flammable greenhouse gas.
A recent University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) report identified Kanjurmarg as one of the world’s top 25 methane hotspot zones.
Civic officials said the BMC has appointed the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) to conduct the methane audit. “Methane is a gas that one cannot even smell to detect its presence. It gets inhaled unknowingly and can severely damage the respiratory system,” Deputy Municipal Commissioner Kiran Dighavkar told The Indian Express.
He added that once hotspots are identified, gas catchers would be installed to capture methane, which could then be reused or supplied to gas distribution agencies.
The committee has also recommended installing air quality monitoring stations within the landfill and integrating the data into the public monitoring system. It further suggested improving soil cover and developing a green buffer around the site to reduce odour affecting nearby areas such as Kannamwar Nagar, Bhandup and Vikhroli.
To mitigate odour dispersion, the panel proposed relocating the two material recovery facilities within the landfill to the western end of the plot. MRFs are facilities where waste is collected and stored before segregation, often leading to foul odour because the waste remains untreated.
As part of its study, the committee compared Kanjurmarg with the Shivri waste processing facility in Lucknow.“The Lucknow plant benefits from being situated outside city limits with a 2-km buffer zone, whereas Kanjur is in a densely populated urban area, significantly affecting odour dispersion and community tolerance,” the report noted.
Among its long-term recommendations, the committee proposed setting up a waste-to-energy plant and a bio-methanation facility at the landfill to process waste more efficiently.
The Kanjurmarg landfill processes around 6,100 metric tonnes (MT) of waste daily. (Express Photo by Deepak Joshi) 
To mitigate odour dispersion, the panel proposed relocating the two material recovery facilities within the landfill (Express Photo by Deepak Joshi)
Share
