changeadminIndia’s Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Mr Manohar Lal, today visited the Bhalswa Dumpsite to review the ongoing legacy waste remediation work being undertaken by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). This was his second in-person inspection and review of the remediation activities at the site.
The Bhalswa landfill has been adopted by Minister Mr Manohar Lal under the Dumpsite Remediation and Action Plan (DRAP) initiative, a nationwide mission-mode programme launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
The DRAP initiative falls under the Swaccha Bharat Mission U 2.0 and aims to remediate major legacy dumpsites across the country, with the goal of achieving “Lakshya Zero Dumpsites” through scientific remediation, environmental restoration, and the reclamation of valuable urban land.
Mr Manohar Lal formally announced the adoption of the Bhalswa Dumpsite on 15 September 2025 during a press conference in New Delhi, followed by the formal on-site launch and inspection on 17 September 2025 as part of the “Swachhata Hi Seva 2025” campaign, under which the Bhalswa Dumpsite was taken up for accelerated remediation and transformation.
During today’s visit, officials briefed the Minister on the progress of biomining and land reclamation activities at the Bhalswa Dumpsite.
The site had approximately 73 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste in June 2022, and since July 2022, biomining operations have been undertaken continuously in mission mode, with approximately 15 thousand metric tonnes processed daily.
As of 26 May 2026, a significant reduction in the balance waste quantity, including both legacy and fresh waste, to approximately 23.17 lakh metric tonnes, remains to be processed.
Owing to sustained biomining and remediation efforts, nearly 43 acres of land have been reclaimed from the total dumpsite area of about 70 acres.
In line with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the objectives of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, scientific methods are being deployed to remediate legacy waste, with parallel efforts to improve environmental safety and civic amenities in the surrounding areas.
During the visit to the Bhalswa landfill site, Minister Manohar Lal conducted a comprehensive review of ongoing biomining operations, environmental safeguards, fire prevention measures, leachate management systems, and the roadmap for the complete remediation of the dumpsite.
Emphasising the importance of expeditious completion of the project to improve environmental conditions and safeguard public health in the surrounding areas, the Minister directed the concerned authorities to ensure complete remediation of the Bhalswa landfill site by September.
He further instructed that fresh waste generated daily should be processed immediately to prevent further accumulation, and stressed that no new legacy waste should be created.
The Minister also directed that the reclaimed land, following remediation of the landfill, should be utilised judiciously for public use and community welfare.
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