North Delhi mayor visits collapsed landfill, orders flattening of mounds

On Thursday the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led opposition had blamed the political wing of the BJP-led corporation for the accident in which three people were injured and two-three livestock was trapped in the debris. A small portion of 15 metres in length at the back of the landfill had collapsed in the wee hours.

A day after a portion of the Bhalswa landfill in north Delhi collapsed after rains overnight and injuring three waste-pickers, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation mayor Jai Prakash and senior officials inspected the site on Friday and directed the mounds be flattened at the earliest.

In September 2017, a large portion of the Ghazipur landfill in East Delhi had collapsed that swept motorists on the road in a nearby canal and claimed two lives while leaving many injured. (Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO)

Prakash directed the corporation’s engineering department to check for vulnerable portions of the landfill that could crumble in the event of heavy rain. “Being prepared in advance is the only way we can avert any possible damage,” he said.

“I have also asked officials to clean up the area abutting the slums so that residents are safe and live in hygienic conditions,” he said.

On Thursday the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led opposition had blamed the political wing of the BJP-led corporation for the accident in which three people were injured and two-three livestock was trapped in the debris. A small portion of 15 metres in length at the back of the landfill had collapsed in the wee hours.

Prakash also said that he has instructed the officials to erect a boundary wall near the slum clusters so that residents from the clusters engaged in rag-picking work are not able to climb up the landfill without permission. “At present the entire area is open and waste-pickers keep venturing onto the landfill throughout the day, which could put their lives in danger. We will erect a wall and will have it manned so that a record can be kept and will also help in maintaining a vigil,” the mayor said.

In September 2017, a large portion of the Ghazipur landfill in East Delhi had collapsed that swept motorists on the road in a nearby canal and claimed two lives while leaving many injured.

The Bhalswa landfill site is an open dumping ground near GT-Karnal road. Created in 1984, it is spread over 70 acres. Till October 2019, the landfill had attained a height of 65 metres, eight metres less than that of Qutub Minar

The civic body had last month claimed to have reduced the height of the landfill by 12 metres by processing legacy waste with the help of 15 trommel machines that are in operation at the site. According to officials, nearly 5.8 lakh tonnes of legacy waste had been segregated and processed till July 2020.

The landfill that had reached its saturation point in 2006 still receives about 2000-2500 metric tonnes of mixed waste every day. More than 80 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste (old solid waste material) is dumped here giving it the shape of a waste mountain.

Prakash said that the 15 trommel machines segregate and process 4,500 metric tonnes legacy waste on a daily basis.