New Delhi: The Delhi government has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that the city will be able to handle an additional 7,750 tonnes of municipal solid waste per day by December 2028 through the expansion of four Waste-to-Energy (WtE) plants and the establishment of two new biogas plants. Officials said this increase will help close the existing gap in waste management while preparing for the expected rise in population and waste generation in the coming years, reports The Times of India.
The plan was submitted in response to the NGT’s February 2023 order imposing ₹2,232 crore as environmental compensation on the Delhi government for failing to comply with Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. The tribunal had noted that Delhi’s unmanaged waste had become a serious threat to public safety and the environment and held the chief secretary personally accountable for ensuring compliance.
As per the government’s submission, Delhi had around 280 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of legacy waste across its three landfill sites in 2019. So far, 205 lakh MT has been bio-mined. The city aims to completely level all three dumping grounds—Okhla by July 2026, Bhalswa by December 2026, and Ghazipur by December 2027.
Although the environmental compensation order was initially challenged in the Supreme Court, the Delhi government has now withdrawn its petition.
