MCD and NDDB Partner to Build Biogas Plants in Nangli, Ghoga-Goyla and Ghazipur

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Wednesday to set up compressed biogas (CBG) plants in Nangli, Ghoga-Goyla, and Ghazipur. The agreement, signed in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, aims to scientifically utilize dairy waste and prevent cattle dung from entering and polluting the Yamuna river.

Under the new agreement, cow dung from dairy farms and gaushalas will be processed at the newly planned facilities in Nangli, Ghoga-Goyla, and Ghazipur. The initiative is designed to manage and dispose of waste from approximately 1.25 lakh cattle across Delhi. To encourage participation, livestock farmers will be paid Rs 1 per kilogram of cow dung they supply to the plants.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that the initiative is an important step toward cleaning the Yamuna river. He announced a target to ensure that not a single litre of dirty water enters the Yamuna by December 2028. Shah added that the agreement would serve as a model for waste management and cleanliness in other major cities across India.

The CBG technology works by breaking down biomass waste, such as cattle dung, in the absence of oxygen. The resulting gas is then purified and compressed, producing a cleaner alternative to CNG that can be used to fuel vehicles.

In addition to generating biogas, the plants will produce leftover manure and slurry. This byproduct will be distributed to farmers for use as organic fertilizer, providing a boost to organic farming in the region.

According to Shah, efforts to clean Delhi's water bodies are already underway, with work having started on around 80 treatment plants across the city to process sewage and industrial waste.

The MoU was signed in the presence of several high-profile officials, including Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu, and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.