Hyderabad, Nov. 12 -- The Swachh Bharat deadline passed in October 2026, yet thousands of acres of legacy landfill sites remained in the country. The Central government has now extended its initial five-year deadline to clear dumpsites till December 2027, according to The Indian Express, which said over 1,000 lakh tonnes of waste remain spread across 4,632 dumpyards.

Under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs intended to remove all existing legacy dumpsites, which are old, unscientific open garbage dumps where municipal solid waste has accumulated over decades without control.

Launched in 2021 with a five-year mission, the initiative was scheduled to be completed by October 1, 2026.

Although th...