Delhi’s first engineered landfill site to begin ops Nov-end

Delhi's first engineered landfill site in Tehkhand is expected to be operational by the end of November. The site will be used for disposing of ashes and burnt material from waste-to-energy plants. The landfill has been developed in a scientific manner with measures to prevent contamination and has a capacity of 9.6 lakh tonnes of waste. It will be operational for approximately 7-8 years. The site is located next to the Tehkhand WtE plant, and ashes will be transferred directly from the plant to the landfill.

The Capital’s first scientific engineered landfill site, located in southeast Delhi’s Tehkhand, is likely to be operational at Tehkhand by the end of November, Municipal Corporation of Delhi officials aware of the project said on Friday.

Delhi's first engineered landfill site at Okhla. The landfill will be used for disposing of the ashes generated after the processing the waste at the Okhla and Tehkhand waste-to-energy plants. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)

The stadium-shaped site, spread over a 23-acre site next to the oversaturated landfill in Okhla, is currently being covered with final layers of geotextile barriers to prevent any contamination of the environment, and it will be used only to disposing off ashes and burnt material generated after the processing of waste at two waste-to-energy (WtE) plants at Okhla and Tehkhand, the officials said.

Unlike a conventional unplanned dumpsite such as the Okhla landfill, an engineered landfill site ensures the disposal of waste in a technical and scientific manner, and has a provision for a leachate treatment plant to avoid leachate percolation in the ground. The project was approved in 2018 by the erstwhile South MCD, and the work was awarded in September 2021. MCD has spent ₹42.3 crore on its development.

Besides creating a seven-acre forest patch within the complex, MCD will also develop a 15-30 m wide thick green belt at the periphery of the complex to minimise any impact in the surrounding areas, officials said.

During a spot visit on Friday, the MCD official overseeing the execution of the project said that 85% of the work is complete, and the site will start receiving ashes from the end of November. “We will soon be applying for permissions from the department concerned (Delhi Pollution Control Committee) for consent before making the facility operational. The site has the capacity to hold around 9.6 lakh tonnes of materials and it is likely to be operational for next seven to eight years,” the official said, declining to be named.

“The site has been developed after the excavation of rocks and gravel in 7.5m deep pits. It has 2.5m high embankments on all sides, and a slope that allows for collection of any leachate which can be treated using a leachate treatment facility. Once the site is extinguished, we can cap it with good earth and develop a large garden on top of it,” the official said.

The site has 2% slope for facilitating collection of leachate and the leachate treatment plant located at the north corner of the complex which is presently under construction.

The landfill site is located right next to the Tehkhand WtE plant, which was operationalised last year. “The ash generated after the incineration of the waste at the WtE plant will be directly transferred to this site through a 200-m conveyor belt, to be installed from the WtE plant. We are also developing a weighing bridge. The operators will have to pay ₹300 per tonne to deposit these ashes. This is to encourage them to find alternative uses of these ashes, and to ensure a longer life for the landfill,” the official said.