Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister, Manohar Lal, visited the Bhalswa landfill site in North Delhi to oversee the ongoing waste cleanup efforts. He instructed officials to finish the task by September this year. Lal examined biomining operations, environmental protections, fire prevention measures, leachate management, and the future plans for site remediation. He emphasized the use of modern technologies to accelerate waste processing and ensure compliance with environmental standards.
During the inspection, Lal expressed his commitment to eliminating the landfill by October 2026. He highlighted the government’s focus on cleanliness, health safety, and civic amenities in the area. Lal mentioned that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, efforts are underway to achieve the vision of a clean and pollution-free environment for Delhi residents. The officials informed Lal that the site previously held around 73 lakh metric tonnes of waste, with ongoing biomining operations processing 15,000 metric tonnes daily since July 2022.
As of May 26 this year, approximately 23.17 lakh metric tonnes of waste remain for remediation at the site. Lal noted that due to continuous biomining efforts, nearly 43 acres of land have been reclaimed from the dumpsite’s total area of about 70 acres. The Bhalswa dumpsite is part of the Dumpsite Remediation and Action Plan (DRAP) initiative, launched under the Swachh Bharat Mission -U 2.0. This initiative aims to remediate legacy dumpsites across the country and reclaim valuable urban land for environmental restoration.
