India determined to level giant garbage mountain in capital New Delhi

The 60-meter-high Bhalswa garbage mountain on the northern outskirts of New Delhi in India is expected to be cleared by March 2026.

The giant garbage mountain in New Delhi can be seen from afar.

AFP news agency reported on March 5 that the Indian capital New Delhi has pledged to clean up one of the city's largest landfills next year, as part of a plan to eliminate the unsightly landfills that dot the city's skyline.

About 32 million people live in the Delhi region, where many garbage dumps are up to 60 meters high and can be seen from a distance.

Dumpster fires are frequent during the capital's long, harsh summers, causing the piles of rubbish to release toxic gases into nearby residential areas.

Speaking to reporters on March 4, New Delhi environmental official Manjinder Singh Sirsa said authorities were working to treat and destroy waste at one of the city’s largest landfills. It was not clear what specific measures he was referring to.

He said the waste at the Bhalswa landfill on the northern outskirts of the city “will be reduced to a level that is not visible from a distance” by the end of the year. “Our ultimate goal is to ensure that no new mountains of rubbish are formed,” he added.

The local settlements around the Bhalswa landfill are home to thousands of New Delhi's poorest residents, mostly migrants from rural areas in search of work.

Mr Sirsa said the Bhalswa landfill would be cleared by March next year, followed by similar remediation work at New Delhi's two other major landfills.

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According to the latest estimates, released in 2023, New Delhi will have to deal with more than 11,000 tonnes of solid waste daily. Officials estimate that the Bhalswa landfill holds more than 4 million tonnes of waste.

Untreated household waste is burned in landfills during the hot summer months and the release of methane gas adds to pollution in India's already smog-choked urban centers.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/an-do-quyet-san-bang-nui-rac-khong-lo-o-thu-do-new-delhi-185250305181441792.htm