Bhalswa landfill to be cleared by December 31, says Khattar

Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday visited the Bhalswa landfill and said the waste will be completely cleared by December 31. Khattar said around 12-13 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste remains at the site, and nearly 99.92 lakh metric tonnes of waste has been cleared since work began in 2022.

Addressing the press during his visit, Khattar said he took charge of the project on September 17 last year.

“We have assigned senior officers to monitor the project so that the landfill is cleared at the earliest,” he said.

“I have urged all the ministers to take one dump site under their own watch to ensure it is remediated at the earliest,” he added.

Khattar said the landfill was commissioned in 1994 and was neglected for nearly three decades. The inspection was conducted in the presence of the Commissioner, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), and senior officials of the Department of Urban Development, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).

The former Haryana chief minister said that the height and volume of the landfill have reduced considerably over the past year due to sustained biomining efforts.

“Tendering process for the remaining waste will commence on the 7th of this month, and we are hopeful that we will be able to remediate the remaining legacy waste in two months,” he said. “According to MCD, the remaining legacy waste is expected to be cleared by October 15, while waste accumulated at the site up to March 2026 is targeted to be cleared by December 31,” the official statement read.

The Bhalswa landfill, one of Delhi’s three legacy dumpsites along with Ghazipur and Okhla, is undergoing biomining and remediation as part of efforts to reclaim land and reduce environmental hazards.  For years, the three landfill sites have stood as some of Delhi’s biggest civic and environmental crises, with nearby residents repeatedly raising concerns over toxic smoke, foul smell, fires and pollution.

After multiple delays and failing deadlines, Okhla and Bhalswa are scheduled to be cleared by December 2026, and Ghazipur is scheduled to be cleared by December 2027.