NGT demands MCD explain how Ghazipur landfill will be cleared by 2027

During a hearing on July 6, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to explain how it plans to clear the massive Ghazipur landfill by December 2027. The tribunal raised serious questions about the feasibility of this target, pointing out that fresh, untreated waste continues to be dumped at the site in east Delhi every day.

The NGT bench, led by Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member Afroz Ahmad, examined the MCD's submissions during the proceedings. The MCD had previously informed the tribunal that approximately 69 lakh MT of legacy waste currently exists at the Ghazipur landfill site, and expressed confidence that this accumulation would be cleared by December 2027.

However, the tribunal highlighted a major gap in daily waste treatment based on the MCD's own disclosures. According to the civic body, east Delhi generates between 2,200 and 2,400 MT of municipal solid waste every day. Of this daily generation, only 1,200 to 1,300 MT is actually processed, leaving a daily deficit of 1,000 to 1,100 MT of untreated fresh waste that ends up at the Ghazipur dumpsite.

The NGT noted that the MCD's proposed infrastructure projects designed to bridge this daily treatment gap are still far from operational. The civic body is currently relying on a planned 2,000 MTPD waste-to-energy plant, which is estimated to take two-and-a-half years before it can begin processing waste.

Furthermore, other proposed facilities, including a 300 MTPD municipal solid waste compressed biogas plant and a 300 TPD biogas facility, are also expected to take considerable time to start operations.

The tribunal observed that until these new waste-processing facilities become fully functional, the gap between daily waste generation and treatment will continue. As a result, fresh waste will keep piling onto the existing legacy waste at the Ghazipur landfill, complicating the 2027 clearance timeline.