Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Manohar Lal  today visited the Bhalswa Dumpsite to review the ongoing legacy waste remediation  work being undertaken by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). This was his second in-person inspection and review of the remediation activities at the site.

The Bhalswa Dumpsite has been adopted by Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal under the Dumpsite Remediation and Action Plan (DRAP) initiative, a nationwide mission-mode programme launched  by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under Swaccha Bharat  Mission -U 2.0 for remediation of  major legacy dumpsites across the country with the target of achieving “Lakshya Zero Dumpsites”  through scientific remediation, environmental restoration, and reclamation of valuable urban land. Shri Manohar Lal  formally announced the adoption of the Bhalswa Dumpsite on 15 September 2025 during a press conference in New Delhi, followed by the formal on-site launch and inspection on 17 September 2025 under the “Swachhata Hi Seva 2025” campaign, under which the Bhalswa Dumpsite was taken up for accelerated remediation and transformation.

During today’s visit, officials briefed the Hon’ble Minister on the progress of biomining and land reclamation activities at the Bhalswa Dumpsite. The site had approximately 73 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste in June 2022, and since July 2022, biomining operations have been continuously undertaken in mission mode, approximately 15 thousands metric tonnes processed per daily . As on 26 May 2026,  resulting in a significant reduction of the balance waste quantity, including both legacy and fresh waste, to approximately 23.17 lakh metric tonnes is remaining waste to be processed. Owing to the sustained biomining and remediation efforts, nearly 43 acres of land has been reclaimed out of the total dumpsite area of about 70 acres.

In line with the vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the objectives of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, scientific methods are being deployed for legacy waste remediation, with parallel efforts to improve environmental safety and civic amenities in the surrounding areas.

During the visit to the Bhalswa landfill site, Hon’ble Minister, Shri Manohar Lal, conducted a comprehensive review of the ongoing biomining operations, environmental safeguards, fire prevention measures, leachate management systems, and the future roadmap for complete remediation of the dumpsite. Emphasizing the importance of expeditious completion of the project to improve environmental conditions and safeguard public health in the surrounding areas, the Hon’ble Minister directed the concerned authorities to ensure complete remediation of the Bhalswa landfill site by September.

He further instructed that fresh waste generated on a daily basis should be processed immediately to prevent further accumulation and stressed that no new legacy waste should be created.

The Hon’ble Minister also directed that the reclaimed land, following remediation of the landfill, should be utilized judiciously for public use and community welfare.

The visit was attended by Sh. Sanjeev Khirwar, Commissioner, MCD; Sh. P. C. Meena, Engineer-in-Chief, MCD; Sh. K. K. Sharma, Chief Engineer, MCD; Sh. Sashi, Deputy Commissioner, MCD; along with other concerned officers of MCD.

 

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