Sood flags Bhalswa as emerging pollution hot spot, orders urgent dust control

The minister, who conducted an on-ground inspection on Thursday — his second since September — reviewed biomining progress, compliance with earlier pollution-control directives, and the functioning of trommel machines deployed at the site.

Urban development minister Ashish Sood on Thursday warned that the Bhalswa landfill will become Delhi’s next pollution hot spot unless dust and waste management measures are stepped up drastically. He then directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to officially designate Bhalswa as a pollution hot spot, enabling intensified monitoring and targeted mitigation.

Delhi urban minister Ashish Sood seen inspecting the Bhalswa landfill (Sanchit Khanna/ HT)

The minister, who conducted an on-ground inspection on Thursday — his second since September — reviewed biomining progress, compliance with earlier pollution-control directives, and the functioning of trommel machines deployed at the site.

Sood said the landfill, which receives nearly 4,000 metric tonnes of fresh waste daily, continues to exert severe environmental pressure on the Capital.

“More than 800–900 garbage-carrying vehicles reach Bhalswa every day, consuming nearly 7,000 litres of diesel. Add to that the dust generated by 16 trommel machines, and it makes the area constantly exposed to toxic air. It is definitely a hotspot that we are continuously monitoring,” he said.

The minister ordered the immediate installation of six anti-smog guns and a dozen water sprinklers to curb dust emissions from ongoing waste processing. A drone survey has been mandated to assess the remaining waste mass, with a comprehensive report due within 10 days.

Speaking to HT, he said the other two landfill sites in Ghazipur and Okhla are also under scrutiny.

“Similar problems persist at all three landfill sites, where dust is a major concern, making these hot spots for pollution. I will be visiting all three landfill sites and we have already asked the sites to ramp up dust-control measures,” Sood said.

Officials informed the minister that waste from 23 wards across Karol Bagh, SP and Narela zones — among Delhi’s largest waste-generating clusters — arrives at Bhalswa every day. Sood noted that neighbourhoods such as Badli, Jahangirpuri, Model Town, Shalimar Bagh and Adarsh Nagar remain the worst affected. He emphasised that new waste must be processed simultaneously to prevent the emergence of another garbage mountain.

Pointing to external factors, Sood said Delhi’s air pollution is also aggravated by expanding industrial activity in border regions such as Narela and Kharkhoda.

“The problem doesn’t stop at Delhi’s boundaries. There are many industrial areas emerging on the outskirts of Delhi in neighbouring states that are also adding to pollution,” he said.

The Bhalswa landfill, which reached a height of 65 metres in 2019, contained an estimated eight million MT of legacy waste that year. As of November 7, officials reported that out of 10.929 million MT of accumulated and fresh waste, 6.882 million MT had been biomined, leaving over four million MT still to be processed. Sood claimed that biomining has accelerated significantly under the present government.

The minister also said that 10 additional acres have been allotted for a new wet-waste processing facility, expected to become operational by December. He instructed MCD to bolster fire-prevention systems and enhance safeguards against odour and air pollution.