Is it possible to clear Bhalswa landfill in a year?
The towering mountain of garbage—Bhalswa landfill— visible to anyone entering Delhi from the Sonipat side, may finally be cleared within a year. Urban Development Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday announced that work at the site will begin on September 17, coinciding with the launch of the 15-day Swachhata Hi Seva campaign.
Khattar said the government has “adopted” Bhalswa dumpsite for transformation and beautification. “I will visit Bhalswa on September 17 along with senior officials to review the plan for remediation and processing. From that day, the cleanup process will start. Given the lack of space for waste processing at the site, I have requested the DDA to provide additional land,” he told mediapersons.
The minister said coordination meetings had already been held with agencies, including the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). “We will start from Bhalswa and clean it in one year. Work on Delhi’s other landfill sites will also be taken up,” he was quoted as saying.
Khattar admitted that earlier deadlines were missed due to rains, protests, and logistical hurdles but insisted that the new plan would have “clear targets and accountability.”
The drive will also cover the other two major landfills at Ghazipur and Okhla.
MCD officials said that in 2019, the three sites together held nearly 24 million tonnes of legacy waste. By December 2024, about 14.8 million tonnes had been processed through biomining, but fresh dumping kept the total at 16.15 million tonnes. Bhalswa alone is said to hold around five million tonnes.
Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Paatil said better waste management was vital for water security.
The Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) campaign, held every year from September 17 to October 2, is a nationwide sanitation initiative led by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the Ministry of Jal Shakti. It mobilises citizens, institutions, and local bodies for visible cleanliness drives, with a focus this year on neglected urban spots.
Clearing Bhalswa has proved difficult. The biomining project was first launched in 2019 under a National Green Tribunal order but has faced repeated delays and deadline extensions. The MCD’s latest target is December 2028 for clearing all three landfill sites. However, officials said the renewed focus on Bhalswa under SHS 2025 could accelerate progress at the site.
Can Bhalswa be cleared in a year?
The government’s one-year deadline for Bhalswa faces a tough reality.
The landfill still holds around five million tonnes of waste, and fresh garbage continues to be dumped daily, slowing down progress.
Past efforts since 2019 have repeatedly missed deadlines due to rains, protests, and lack of land for processing. The Bhalswa landfill is located in north Delhi, near Bhalswa Dairy and Jahangirpuri, close to National Highway-44 (the GT Karnal Road) on the Delhi–Sonipat route. It lies about 15 km from central Delhi and is one of the three major landfill sites in the city, along with Ghazipur (east Delhi) and Okhla (south Delhi).
While political push and strict monitoring may reduce Bhalswa’s height and make a visible impact, whether a complete cleanup in just 12 months is possible, remains to be seen.
