New Delhi: Delhi govt has shared its waste management plan with the National Green Tribunal (NGT), stating that the capital will be able to process an additional 7,750 tonnes per day (TPD) of municipal solid waste by Dec 2028 through the expansion of four Waste-to-Energy (WtE) plants and two new biogas facilities. The additional capacity, it said, will bridge the current waste-management gap while accommodating expected rises in population and waste generation over the next few years.The submission was filed in response to the NGT’s Feb 2023 order imposing Rs 2,232 crore in environmental compensation on Delhi govt for violation of Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. The tribunal earlier noted that Delhi’s mismanaged waste posed a threat to citizen safety and the environment, holding chief secretary personally responsible for ensuring compliance.According to govt, Delhi had an estimated 280 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of legacy waste across its three landfill sites in 2019. Of this, 205 lakh MT was bio-mined so far. The city now targets complete flattening of all three dumping grounds—Okhla by July 2026, Bhalswa by Dec 2026, and Ghazipur by Dec 2027. The compensation order was initially challenged in the Supreme Court, but the govt has since withdrawn the petition.The report also pointed to a series of high-level meetings chaired by chief secretary, the most recent on Nov 14, to review progress.Delhi currently produces 11,862 TPD of waste. To close the gap, MCD plans several major processing units: a 3,000 TPD WtE plant at Narela-Bawana, a 2,000 TPD WtE plant, a 1,000 TPD plant, and another 1,000 TPD WtE at Tehkhand.
