The deadline for clearing the Ghazipur landfill, which was originally scheduled for December 2024, has been pushed back to December 2027. The Ghazipur landfill will be the last to be cleared out of Delhi's three major garbage piles, which include Okhla and Bhalswa landfills.
The deadline for clearing the Okhla dumpsite is July 2026, while December 2026 has been set as the target for Bhalswa. According to a report by the Times of India, all three deadlines were set by the MCD in the latest report submitted to the government on December 18.
ALSO READ: Bihar Food Dept Deploys AI To Ensure Accurate Ration Distribution; e-PoS, Digital Scales Linked
Why Is There A Delay In Clearing Ghazipur Landfill?
The delay in clearing the Ghazipur landfill is primarily due to operational and technical setbacks. Initially, the progress was affected by an internal dispute within the company responsible for waste disposal. The problem was accentuated when the waste-to-energy plant at the site failed to operate at the intended capacity.
The MCD flagged this problem in an affidavit before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), where it wrote that the plant remained shut for more than three months in the financial year starting April 2025. From April to December 2025, it was non-operational for 108 days out of a total of 275 days. In this shutdown period, the MCD said the plant remained non-operational from September 12 to December 5 due to repair works, chimney-related issues and damage to the grate, which slowed down the landfill clearance process significantly.
The MCD also wrote that the plant is not operating at its full capacity. The present capacity of the plant is to generate 12 megawatts of electricity by disposing of 1,300 tons of waste, operating 24 hours each day. However, according to the municipal body, the plant is temporarily shut down due to changes in waste quality and the need for repair and cleaning of pressure components.
Waste Disposal Far Below Installed Capacity Despite Repairs
The report further stated that even after repairs, the site managed to process only about 900 tonnes of waste per day, far below the intended capacity of 1,300 tonnes. In April 2025, daily disposal ranged between 300 and 400 tonnes.
This improved marginally in May, when 500 to 800 tonnes were processed each day, while in June the figures fluctuated sharply, from as low as 182 tonnes to a maximum of 1,082 tonnes per day. But things did not improve despite regular maintenance, and similar inconsistencies persisted in the following months as well.