New Delhi, Aug. 30 -- The Delhi government has claimed significant progress in the remediation of the city's three major landfill sites, stating that around 2.16 crore metric tonnes of waste has been processed at Okhla, Bhalswa and Ghazipur, resulting in the reclamation of 100 acres of land.
According to the Chief Minister's Office, around 70 lakh metric tonnes of waste has been processed at the Okhla landfill, with 35 acres of land reclaimed. At Bhalswa, around 1.02 crore metric tonnes has been processed and 45 acres reclaimed, while 44 lakh metric tonnes of waste has been processed at Ghazipur, resulting in the reclamation of 20 acres.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the government had adopted a scientific and time-bound approach to address the long-pending issue of Delhi's landfill sites.
"Priorities changed with a single vote, garbage mountains beginning to disappear in Delhi," Gupta said.
The Chief Minister said the initiative was aimed not only at reducing the accumulated waste but also at improving environmental conditions and the quality of life of residents living in areas surrounding the landfill sites. She said the reclamation of 100 acres of land in the Capital was a significant achievement.
"Garbage mountains had remained a major problem for the people of Delhi for years. Our government had promised to remove them and worked towards fulfilling that commitment through a scientific roadmap, dedication and a time-bound approach," she said.
The government has also begun utilising inert material recovered during the waste-processing exercise. At Ghazipur, the material is being used for filling low-lying areas and preparing road bases, the CMO said. The government is simultaneously working to strengthen Delhi's waste-processing capacity. Preparations have been completed for setting up four new Waste-to-Energy plants, which are expected to help process the waste generated in the city on a daily basis and prevent fresh accumulation at landfill sites.
"Once these plants are ready, Delhi will develop the capacity to process the waste generated every day at the same pace, ensuring that waste does not continue to
accumulate and turn into new garbage mountains," Gupta said.
The Delhi Government said its objective is to ensure scientific management of different categories of waste and process daily waste generation on a regular basis, while continuing efforts to reclaim land currently occupied by the landfill sites.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.