Delhi CM Rekha Gupta Lays Foundation for Waste Processing Plants at Three Landfills
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday laid the foundation stone for new waste processing facilities at the Okhla, Ghazipur, and Singhola landfill sites, announcing that the Delhi government has reclaimed 100 acres of land from the city's three landfills over the past one-and-a-half years.
The newly launched facilities are designed to process both fresh daily waste and construction and demolition waste. The initiative aims to prevent the accumulation of new waste mounds across the national capital while actively clearing existing legacy garbage.
Speaking to reporters following the ceremony at the Okhla landfill site, Gupta said the administration is tackling the issue on two fronts: eliminating legacy waste from existing dumps and ensuring newly generated garbage is treated promptly before it can pile up. At Okhla, almost all legacy waste present before January 2025 has already been processed, she stated.
Gupta noted that between 3,000 and 4,000 metric tonnes of waste arrive at the Okhla site each day. The new fresh waste processing unit is intended to handle these daily inflows on a regular schedule, preventing future build-ups.
According to the Chief Minister, the fresh waste processing infrastructure will also generate biogas, green energy, and manure. The administration is introducing new technologies for waste segregation and processing, utilizing both general waste and cattle dung to create a technology-driven waste management ecosystem. The foundation stone laying also encompassed waste processing facilities at Ghazipur and Singhola, as well as the Ghazipur biogas plant.
Addressing the broader environmental impact, Gupta stated that the city is working across several domains, including landfill remediation, Yamuna cleaning, dust mitigation, plantation, road infrastructure, and waste management to curb pollution. She added that the existing garbage mountains are steadily shrinking, with the government working to reduce them completely to zero.
