Minister orders anti-pollution curbs at Bhalswa landfill

Delhi Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood on Thursday inspected the Bhalswa landfill site and directed officials to accelerate efforts towards eliminating the city’s towering garbage dumps.

During the visit, he ordered the immediate installation of six anti-smog guns and twelve water sprinklers to control dust and air pollution at the site.

The minister, accompanied by senior officials from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and other departments, reviewed the ongoing biomining, waste processing, and dust pollution control measures. He also examined the functioning of trommel machines and assessed arrangements for processing and disposing of pre processed waste.

Sood said the inspection followed up on his earlier visit on September 17, when he had issued several directions to curb environmental dust pollution. “Around 4,000 MT of fresh waste is dumped at Bhalswa site every day,” he said, adding that both new and legacy waste must be “disposed of through scientific methods,” he added.

Highlighting the scale of pollution, the minister noted that “over 800 garbage carrying vehicles make trips to the site daily, consuming nearly 7,000 litres of diesel, which also contributes to air and also dust pollution.” He further pointed out that “16 trommel machines currently engaged in waste processing generate significant dust, aggravating pollution in the area”.

To address this, Sood “directed MCD officials and the concessionaire company to immediately install 6 anti smog guns and 12 water sprinklers at the Bhalswa site.”

He also ordered that “Bhalswa landfill be declared a ‘pollution hotspot’ to ensure special monitoring and mitigation efforts,” and instructed a “drone survey of the entire area to assess the remaining waste and submit a detailed report within 10 days.”

During the inspection, Sood remarked that “Delhi’s pollution problem is not confined to the city alone; it is compounded by activities in neighbouring states”. He said, “The rise of industrial activity in Narela, Kharkhoda, and nearby border areas has further aggravated air pollution levels. Bhalswa landfill itself remains a significant pollution source.”

Providing a detailed account of the landfill’s status, Sood said, “This site has been operational since 1994 and reached a height of 65 metres in 2019, with an estimated 8 million metric tonnes (MT) of legacy waste at that time. As of 2022, the legacy waste stood at 7.3 million MT. From July 2022 to November 7, 2025, around 3.629 million MT of fresh waste, silt, and debris have been dumped at the site.

Out of the total 10.929 million MT, 6.882 million MT have been biomined as of November 7, 2025, leaving approximately 4.047 million MT still to be processed.”

He added that “under the present government, the pace of biomining has increased substantially, and visible results will soon be evident.”

Sood further informed that “an additional 10 acres of land has been made available at Bhalswa for wet waste processing, which will commence operations by December 2025.” He directed MCD officials “to take effective measures to prevent fire incidents at the landfill, which significantly worsen air pollution.”

He also instructed officials to “expedite measures for reducing the landfill’s height, increasing processing capacity, and implementing strong safeguards against air pollution and stench in the nearby areas.”