Cap Bhalswa landfill to save lives: North body
Green capping involves closing the landfill for fresh garbage, compressing the garbage with heavy machines and cutting steps into the slopes at an angle, to ensure rain or earthquakes do not cause the landfill to collapse as in the case of the Ghazipur landfill in 2017.
The North Municipal Corporation of Delhi commissioner, Varsha Joshi, on Thursday advocated the “scientific capping” of the Bhalswa landfill, saying it is the only way the safety of the area and its residents could be ensured. She added it would be done after exhausting all possibility of biodegradation.
“This is the best way to dispose of legacy waste. We have seen successful examples in the South Korean capital, Seoul’s Nanjido, which was an island that was converted into a landfill, and later underwent green capping. Today, it is a beautiful ecological park,” she said.
Green capping involves closing the landfill for fresh garbage, compressing the garbage with heavy machines and cutting steps into the slopes at an angle, to ensure rain or earthquakes do not cause the landfill to collapse as in the case of the Ghazipur landfill in 2017. The north corporation floated a tender for rehabilitation of the Bhalswa landfill, the second largest in Delhi, on Thursday.
“Capturing the leachate will take up to 15 years,” Joshi said.
“We will also spread out the legacy garbage over a 12 acre plot we have nearby and make it undergo biodegradation once more,” she added.
Joshi was addressing concerns by environmentalists that biomining, which involves the complete segregation of legacy waste, and full bioremediation of landfills, must be explored first before opting for ‘green capping’