Delhi’s south civic body empanels 13 agencies to lift inert waste from Okhla landfill

Until now, the civic body has been struggling to handle the inert waste (non-reactive soil like material) which was building up during the process of bio-mining

The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has empanelled 13 private agencies to take away the inert waste, produced during the bio-mining of legacy waste at the Okhla landfill, which has been building up at the site for some time now.

Spread over 46 acres, the Okhla landfill receives about 50% of the approximately 3,600 metric tonnes of waste generated daily within the SDMC area. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

Until now, the civic body has been struggling to handle the inert waste (non-reactive soil like material) which was building up during the process of bio-mining. Spread over 46 acres, the Okhla landfill receives about 50% of the approximately 3,600 metric tonnes of waste generated daily within the SDMC area.

According to officials, at least 60% to 70% of the waste processed during bio-mining is inert, which can be used for levelling low-lying areas or as base filling in the construction of roads.

“We have empanelled 13 private agencies to take away the inert waste from the landfill. This will help us in freeing up space at the landfill, which is required for moving machines for intensifying bio-mining. We plan to install more trommel machines to intensify the activity,” said a senior official, who asked not to be named.

The south civic body has also got its inert waste tested by the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), which has approved its use in road construction. The SDMC has set December 2023 as the deadline for processing all legacy waste and closing the landfill.

Since October 2019, when the process of bio-mining started at the Okhla landfill, the civic body has so far transported 6.30 lakh metric tonnes of inert waste to different sites such as NTPC Eco Park and Tajpur Pahadi (which has deep pits to be filled) as well as used some of it to pave a way within the landfill for moving machines.