Told to shut down 15 years ago, Ghazipur landfill was a disaster in making | Latest News Delhi - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Told to shut down 15 years ago, Ghazipur landfill was a disaster in making

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By, New Delhi
Sep 02, 2017 12:39 PM IST

Although the civic agency claim to have hired private concessionaires to segregate, recycle and compress the waste, a large part of it remains unsegregated and is dumped at the already filled dumping site

The Ghazipur landfill site, a part of which collapsed on Friday killing two persons, should have shut down in 2002. But more than one-fourth of the garbage collected in Delhi is still dumped at the site daily.

Rescue and relief operations underway after a part of the Ghazipur garbage landfill collapsed in east Delhi on Friday afternoon. Several people and a vehicle were swept into the canal after the mishap.(PTI Photo)
Rescue and relief operations underway after a part of the Ghazipur garbage landfill collapsed in east Delhi on Friday afternoon. Several people and a vehicle were swept into the canal after the mishap.(PTI Photo)

As trash piled up for years at this saturated location near Delhi border, the East Delhi Municipal Corporation did little to find an alternative. The East Delhi Municipal Corporation officials say that the danger is not over yet as many more portions of this garbage mound can collapse any time now.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Present situation

Every day, 3,000 tonnes of garbage is dumped at the Ghazipur landfill. Although the civic agency claim to have hired private concessionaires to segregate, recycle and compress the waste, a large part of it remains unsegregated and is dumped at the already filled dumping site. There is a waste to energy plant at site that treats only 1,200 tonnes of waste.

For permanent solution, the EDMC had signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Highway Authority of India for utilising the segregated waste for embankment of roads.

But the project was put on hold after if was found that the segregated waste has no calorific value. “Now the court has directed the NHAI to revisit the project and use it for road widening. We are expecting to start the tendering process by September 20,” said a senior East Delhi Municipal Corporation official.

Lack of management

The landfills at Ghazipur and Bhalswa were commissioned in 1984. The one at Okhla was added in 1996. Except for the Narela-Bawana dumpsite that was commissioned in 2009, the other three violate state regulations.

They are not designed according to the Municipal Solid Waste Rules of 2000, which mandates all such dumpsites to have eco-friendly garbage management facilities. Not just that, the landfills have no facility for material recovery, treating leachete and producing refuse derive fuel.They have no certification from Delhi Pollution Control Committee and should have shut down in 2002.

“But the civic agency has no other option. There are no other sites that’s why they continue to dump trash here,” said KS Mehra, former commissioner of unified MCD.

For years, civic agencies have been repeating plans for reclaiming the oversaturated landfills but nothing has changed on the ground.

Non-availability of land

The municipal agencies have been repeatedly demanding more land from the Delhi Development Authority to set up landfills and waste-to-energy plants.

But, the sites allocated to the municipal corporations two years ago, are still unused. According to MCD officials, the sites provided are either too small to be used as landfill sites or not been demarcated properly by DDA.

However, Delhi Development Authority (DDA) blamed the three civic bodies for delay in creation of Sanitary Landfill Sites (SLFs) in Delhi. It said that the authority had allotted large chunk of lands as per their requirement. “As and when they made a requisition, the DDA allotted sufficient amount of land to the three corporations, including the east civic body for the purpose. However, they have failed to set up garbage dumps there. A piece of land measuring 150 acre in Ghonda Gurjan was alloted to east corporation but it has having some legal issues and the matter is before the National Green Tribunal (NGT),” he said.

Here’s why Ghazipur was a tragedy in the making

• The landfill has crossed the height of 50 metres and still 3000 tonnes of garbage (including silt) continued to be dumped here every day.

• The EDMC has not identified any other alternative site to dump waste so far. As per officials, the one site provided by DDA at O-Zone near Yamuna has been rejected by National Green Tribunal.

• The Ghazipur landfill was commissioned in 1984 and is not designed according to the Municipal Solid Waste Rules of 2000, which mandates all such dumpsites to have eco-friendly garbage management facilities.

• Every day, 10,000 tonnes of garbage is generated in Delhi. Of this, east Delhi generates 3000 tonnes, north produces 3500 tonnes while south Delhi collects 3,500 tonnes of garbage.

Unveiling 'Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    author-default-90x90

    Vibha Sharma covers municipal bodies in Delhi. A journalist for almost a decade, she has also worked for the hyper-local editions of Hindustan Times, covering civic concerns in south Delhi, Gurgaon, and Ghaziabad.

SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On