New Delhi: Chief minister Rekha Gupta Saturday inspected Okhla landfill and said 217.2 lakh metric tonnes of waste had been cleared from Okhla, Bhalswa and Ghazipur landfill sites over the past 18 months, reclaiming nearly 100 acres of land.
The quantity of waste cleared is equivalent to around two lakh truckloads, while the reclaimed land is comparable to about 57 standard football fields, according to officials. “The mountains of garbage that have accumulated in Delhi over the years due to prolonged neglect are now being reduced rapidly through Delhi govt’s sustained efforts.
With this objective, the capacity of new processing facilities is being increased,” Gupta said. Gupta said clearing waste visible on the surface alone would not be enough and stressed the need for scientific remediation of the legacy waste accumulated beneath. Govt is committed to gradually eliminating the mountains of garbage that have been a part of Delhi’s identity for years and building a clean, beautiful and sustainable Delhi,” she said. Urban development minister Ashish Sood said Delhi could address its garbage problem by creating waste-processing capacity exceeding the city’s daily waste generation.
Our objective is not only to clear legacy waste but also to scientifically process fresh waste and prevent it from turning into another mountain of garbage. The chief minister held a review meeting with officials on waste disposal, reclaimed land and the operational readiness of upcoming processing facilities. “Govt is working simultaneously on increasing processing capacity, scientific waste management, waste-to-resource and renewable energy to make Delhi cleaner and better. He added that govt was focused on solutions rather than assigning blame for long-standing issues.