Union Housing and Urban Affairs (HUA) Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday sought details on the ongoing controversy over garbage landfill site in the wake of Ghazipur landfill site tragedy in the national Capital. The Minister has sought report on garbage collection and waste management system in Delhi.
The National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi is facing shortage of site to dump its waste or garbage. The Municipal Corporations, Delhi Development Authority and lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal have identified a temporary landfill site at Rani Khera village in outer Delhi but in face of stiff resistance from the local residents, the garbage could not be dumped there.
Having failed to find a place for disposing the garbage in east Delhi, the municipal corporation has decided to continue dumping garbage at Ghazipur landfill site.
Top sources said the HUA Minister has sought details on landfill site and garbage issue in Delhi. The NGT monitoring committee identified a new site at Ghonda Gunjan for landfill site but due to protests, it could not be finalised.
The 150 acre in Ghonda is close to the river Yamuna. In a related development, the lieutenant-Governor has called a meeting of three experts of landfill site on Thursday.
According to officials, Delhi has no land to dump its garbage and nieghbouring States UP and Haryana are keen to give land to Delhi to dump garbage. Delhi already has four landfills — one Ghazipur in the East, Bhalswa and Narela-Bawana in the North and Okhla in the South — all of which have been around for 20 to 30 years and are bursting at the seams, having long outlived their natural lifespan. However, they continue to be used as the State does not have land for new landfills.
The Ghazipur landfill is among the four dumpsites in Delhi and the collected waste had reached a height 50 metre, as tall as a 15-storey building. In 2002 the authorities had ordered stopping of garbage at Ghazipur landfill site.
As per Government data, Delhi generates over 10,000 metric tonnes of garbage each day, which is disposed of at its three existing landfills, and at a few waste-to-energy plants across the city.