Okhla, Bhalswa, Ghazipur cleared of 216 lakh tonnes of waste: CM Rekha Gupta

Heavy excavators and biomining units have carved through decades of accumulated legacy waste across Delhi’s three iconic garbage mountains.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced that the government has successfully processed 216 lakh metric tonnes of garbage across the Okhla, Bhalswa, and Ghazipur landfill sites. The systematic biomining drive has cleared significant stretches of land previously buried under towering waste heaps, reclaiming approximately 95-100 acres across the capital.

Addressing the city's long-standing municipal challenge, the CM emphasised that the scientific roadmap adopted by the administration aims to permanently eliminate these eyesores. "Today, regarding Okhla, we have processed 70 lakh metric tonnes of garbage and reclaimed 35 acres of land," Chief Minister Gupta said.

The site-by-site breakdown reveals substantial progress across all three locations:

• Okhla Landfill: 70 lakh metric tonnes of garbage processed; 35 acres of land reclaimed. 
• Bhalswa Landfill: 102 lakh metric tonnes of garbage processed; 45 acres of land reclaimed. 
• Ghazipur Landfill: 44 lakh metric tonnes of garbage processed; 20 acres of land reclaimed. 

Inert materials recovered through the biomining process are being repurposed for infrastructure construction, including road sub-base preparation and the backfilling of low-lying areas.

"It has been used for filling low-lying areas and preparing the base beneath roads," Chief Minister Gupta said. "This has ensured not only the scientific processing of waste but also the utilisation of material recovered through the process. The government's working model is not limited to addressing the problem at hand but also involves planning in advance for future requirements."

To prevent new garbage mounds from forming, the administration has finalised plans to set up four new Waste-to-Energy (WtE) plants across the city.

"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," Chief Minister Gupta said. "The government's goal is to ensure that as much waste as Delhi generates every day is processed on a daily basis."

While biomining machinery continues to clear legacy waste, civic authorities face ongoing operational challenges. Heavy monsoon rains and the daily influx of fresh waste continue to create bottlenecks. Daily processing capacity currently struggles to outpace incoming municipal waste, making the commissioning of the four planned Waste-to-Energy plants critical to achieving total clearance.