The Bhalswa landfill in Delhi has operated since 1994 and reached its capacity in 2008, but garbage trucks continued to dump more waste daily. The landfill is located on land owned by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). Due to the overflowing waste at the landfill, the people living near Bhalswa Village, Jahangirpuri, and Mukundpur have started facing health and sanitation issues daily.
Under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) jurisdiction, the Bhalswa landfill sees around 2,500 metric tonnes of garbage dumped daily. According to Mr. Rajiv Gupta, the officer-in-charge of waste management at the landfill site, the smell of rotting garbage fills the air constantly, and the smoke from the burning trash adds to their difficulties.
He further adds that the landfill spans approximately 70 acres. Moreover, the problems worsen in summer as the fire from methane gas spreads quickly, and the smoke stays in the air for days, causing severe discomfort for residents in the neighbourhood. The local MLA visited the location with former CM Arvind Kejriwal back in 2024, but the conditions remain unchanged, and a solution is yet to be found.
Daily Life Near the Landfill
The Bhalswa landfill and its surrounding areas come under the Badli Assembly Constituency
Bhalswa area, including Jahangirpuri Block I and J, Bhalswa Dairy, Rajiv Nagar, Kalender Colony, and Swami Sadanand Park, has an estimated population of 1.5 to 2 lakh people.
Dalbir Punia from Sanjay Enclave RWA, Jahangirpuri, said to the voices that people struggle with health and pollution due to the Bhalswa landfill they even can’t open their home windows. The RWA holds meetings with people to spread awareness and also works to minimize these issues
Manish Kumar, a field executive working with a footwear sole manufacturing company, resides merely 300 meters from the Bhalswa landfill site, he has been living here for 5-6 years and shared with the Voices how the water in the area smells toxic and is unsafe for drinking.
The road near the Bhalswa landfill has become a daily struggle for those passing by. The site’s foul smell and smoke from frequent fires make the air thick and uneasy to breathe.
During the rains, waste mixes with water and turns into sludge, which spills onto the road, making the commute even worse. People using the road often feel nauseous, get headaches, or suffer from eye irritation. But since it’s an important route, they have no choice but to continue using it.
The Delhi Jal Board declared the groundwater in the Bhalswa area unsafe due to high levels of toxins like lead and ammonia. Investigations by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) revealed that leachate from the landfill, containing heavy metals like lead and cadmium, had contaminated the groundwater. The leachate also had high concentrations of chlorides, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and chemical oxygen demand (COD), making the water unsafe for consumption. He said many families cannot afford clean water and are forced to use the polluted supply.
Doctor’s Views on the Landfill
Dr Ashmita Sinha, an MBBS-qualified doctor working at Mohalla clinic, highlighted the health impacts of living near the Bhalswa landfill, saying an increase in cases of respiratory illness, skin infections, and waterborne diseases, which she connected to pollution from the dump site. She said the nearest facility for delivering babies is around 5 km from the Bhalswa area. Concerns about the health of newborns, explaining cases of low birth weight and respiratory issues linked to heavy exposure to pollution from the landfill area.
D.K. Vishwas is a registered medical practitioner working with people around the dumping ground. He mentioned that toxins from the Bhalswa landfill, including methane, lead, and other heavy metals, pose serious health risks. These substances can lead to symptoms such as skin rashes, respiratory issues, and digestive problems. When asked how they determined the dumping site is the cause, D.K. Vishwas explained that the symptoms align with exposure to toxins from such waste sites.
Even garbage collectors who work at the dump face difficulty while dumping waste at the landfill. Most of them don’t have gloves or masks, and handling the trash with bare hands brings them closer to health risks, but they don’t have any other option due to their work compulsions. One of these garbage collectors told The Voices “that they have to survive, even if the work is killing them slowly.”
What Expert Say
Mr Dhiraj Jha, who studied M.Sc. in Environmental Science at Bangalore University and works with the NGO KARWAAN MISSION at SIRASPUR, explained to the voices that Bhalswa landfill is a big example of waste mismanagement in Delhi. It was supposed to stop working years ago but still keeps growing. He said there is no proper system for recycling or managing waste locally. He suggested setting up smaller waste processing units near residential areas and starting awareness drives to help people reduce garbage at the source. These steps could stop the growing garbage problem.
Government Actions and Future Plans
In 2019, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) told the Delhi government to manage waste better. CM Kejriwal promised to remove 50 lakh metric tons of waste by 2024, but progress was slow. In 2021, the NGT fined the government ₹900 crore for poor waste management.
During a site visit, then CM Kejriwal said, “We are working day and night to remove these garbage mountains.” He claimed that 18 lakh metric tons had been cleared. An MCD official said they aimed to remove 30 lakh metric tons by May 2024 and possibly reach 45 lakh metric tons. The second phase of cleanup started in December 2024. It is expected to take 18 months and cost ₹130 crore, said MCD official Ashwani Kumar.
Renewed Efforts Under New Leadership
With a change in leadership, the focus on the Bhalswa landfill has intensified. Newly appointed Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, accompanied by Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena and Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, recently visited the site to oversee the progress. Sirsa announced that 35% of the landfill has been cleared, with 25 acres reclaimed. By December 2025, the waste will be reduced to the point where it is no longer visible, and the landfill is set to be completely cleared by March 2026.
However, the challenge remains as fresh waste continues to be dumped. Since the start of biomining in 2019, 74 lakh metric tons of garbage have been processed, but an additional 44 lakh metric tons have accumulated. To speed up the transformation, authorities have begun greening the reclaimed land, planting 2,000 bamboo saplings on five acres, with an overall 54,000 saplings planned in the coming months. L-G Saxena emphasized that soon, instead of a garbage mountain, Bhalswa will be a lush green landscape.
Despite the big promises and fresh efforts, the real question is—Will Bhalswa finally be free from this never-ending waste problem? People living nearby are hoping that things will change. Only time will tell if this is a real or temporary solution.
Copy Editor: Abhijeet Sen