‘This is shameful’: SC criticises 3,000 tonne shortfall in treatment of Delhi’s solid waste

The Supreme Court criticized Delhi's government for 3,000 tonnes of untreated waste daily, demanding compliance with waste management rules and accountability.

The Supreme Court on Thursday described as “shameful” and “shocking” the fact that nearly 3,000 tonnes of waste generated daily in the national capital remains untreated, criticising the Delhi government and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for their laxity in the matter.

The Supreme Court. (File)

“”This is shameful. In the capital city of the country, this is happening,” observed a bench of justices Abhay S Oka and AG Masih, expressing dissatisfaction with the lack of compliance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 and questioning the sincerity of the authorities in addressing the waste crisis in Delhi.

The court order stated: “This is a shocking state of affairs that in the municipal areas of the national capital, there is generation of 3,000 tonnes of untreated solid waste every day. One can only imagine the drastic impact of such untreated waste on the environment.”

During Thursday’s proceedings, the bench summoned the Delhi chief secretary via video conference to provide an explanation. However, the court found the responses inadequate, particularly regarding the absence of accurate data and the lack of progress in enhancing waste-processing capacity.

The bench demanded clarity on compliance with the timelines under the 2016 Rules, stating: “Eight years have passed since these Rules came into force, yet the Delhi government cannot even tell us which timelines have been met and which remain pending.”

Senior advocate Aparajita Singh, who has been assisting the bench as amicus curiae, pointed out that the same statistics on waste generation were presented in affidavits filed in July and more recently, questioning the credibility of the data. “They are showing the same numbers from months ago without explaining why waste generation has not increased or what steps have been taken,” she added.

Senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy, appearing for MCD, attempted to justify the delays by citing ongoing litigation related to tariffs for waste management plants before another bench in the top court. Singh, however, opposed these arguments, calling the submissions “unfair” and asking how many times the MCD or the Delhi government sought an early hearing in these cases.

The bench then proceeded to record in its order that Delhi generates around 11,000 tonnes of solid waste daily, with a processing shortfall of 3,000 tonnes. Additionally, approximately 800 tonnes of solid waste are illegally dumped daily at sites such as Ghazipur and Bhalswa, expressing alarm over the environmental and health hazards posed by such practices.

“We expect the Delhi government to come out with measures for preventing fires and generation of pollution due to illegal dumping of solid waste every day. At these two sites, what steps have been taken to avoid fires as well as adverse effects on the environment has to be dealt with by the chief secretary and all other entities and other stakeholders,” said the bench in its order.

The court did not mince words in holding the Delhi government and MCD accountable for the crisis. “The fact of the matter is that there is no compliance with the 2016 Rules. The chief secretary does not care about court orders. We pass an order, and he doesn’t bother to report compliance or file his affidavit,” it told Guruswamy.

In its order, the court directed the MCD to file a detailed affidavit by January 27, specifying the extent of compliance with the 2016 Rules and identifying pending timelines. It also asked for a separate affidavit by January 15 detailing the measures being implemented at Ghazipur and Bhalswa to address illegal dumping, prevent fires and mitigate pollution.

“With some degree of sadness, we record that more than 3000 tonnes of solid waste remains untreated every day and there is illegal dumping too. Perhaps, some day this court will have to consider stopping some developmental activities so that the generation of solid waste is reduced,” recorded the bench in its order.