However, the fact is both the BJP and AAP had never been serious about clearing the landfills, which at present rate would take 197 years. AAP blames BJP is ruling the MCD, and BJP blames AAP government has not been releasing sufficient funds. And both the allegations are correct along with other administrative drawbacks on both sides.

At Ghazipur landfill site, before Arvind Kejriwal arrived there, BJP workers stomped on AAP flags, they were thrown on the roads, tearing with sticks, and blocked the road. "Kejriwal, haye haye," they cried. In retaliation, only a few feet away AAP workers sloganeered, "BJP murdabad".

MCD is ruled by the BJP, which won the erstwhile South, North, and East Delhi Municipal corporations in 2017. Out of 272 seats, BJP had won 181. Now the three civic bodies are unified and total seats have been fixed at 250, for which elections are due early next year. Obviously, the clearing of garbage is the duty of the MCD in which it has miserably failed. BJP says that AAP government has not been releasing due funds to the municipalities, despite the municipalities vowed to clear the landfill sites ahead of MCD polls.

In the midst of allegations and counter-allegations Delhi Pollution Control Committees report is worth nothing that says that the city generates around 11,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste per day. Of this around 5,000 tonnes is processed and the rest 6000 tonnes per day ends up at the three landfill sites at Ghazipur, Okhla, and Bhalswa.

Project to flatten the mountains of garbage started in October 2019, but only less than a fifth of existing waste has been processed until. Presently Delhi has accumulated over 27.6 million tonnes of garbage at the three sites, only little less than two and a half years ago when it was 28 million tonnes. Since the average amount of garbage being cleared is 5,315 tonnes a day, an estimate shows that clearing the landfills could take over 197 years. Over the last 34 months, only 5.1 million tonnes waste has been removed so far. Daily accumulation poses another problem, and even if we do not add, clearing the present dump would take at least 14 years, as estimated.

MCD has submitted its project to clear the garbage to the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs with an estimated budget of Rs 1,864 crore. The project is adversely affected due to various reasons including rains, and closure of waste to energy plants for maintenance and repairs.

It should also be noted that in December 2020, the state-level monitoring committee was informed by the MCD that 50 per cent of the legacy waste that was accumulated in the three landfills would be cleared by June 2022. Obviously, the BJP led MCD failed in its promise. Now they have asked the monitoring committee for more time at least until July 2023.

The issue of clearing the garbage and landfills had went to the National Green Tribunal that had originally ordered for the project in 2019. As per the order of the NGT, the biomining of legacy waste began at all the three sites in October 2019, as per the data submitted by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to the Centre.

East Delhi Municipal Corporation bio-mined around 3 lakh tonnes of legacy or old waste from Ghazipur landfill out of 140 lakh tonnes accumulated there. By October 2021, it processed total 7.81 lakh tonnes. It means only about 4 lakh tonnes of waste per year are being processed at this site. Thus, the old garbage alone which is about 133 lakh tonnes, would take another 33 years. The problem multiplies because much more fresh garbage lands at this site than EDMC is able to clear.

This poor performance is in contrast with the promise that the BJP led MCD had given to the NGT. As per the promise according to the action plan, Ghazipur is to achieve 100 per cent remediation by December 2024, Bhalswa by December 2023, and Okhla by March 2023.

The situation is going from bad to worse, since the processing capacity has not been increased since 2016. As of February, 2022, the total capacity for processing municipal waste in Delhi was 5,550 tonnes per day, which is only 49.9 per cent of the 11,119 TPD generated. It is due to lack of the processing capacity and infrastructure, large quantity of organic waste are reaching the landfill sites without processed which makes clearing the landfill all the more difficult. Wet waste materials are too difficult to be cleared from the landfills, rather they should go to waste to energy plants. Wet materials accumulates more in the rainy season, and hence only about nine months in a year are available for clearance.

Another problem is non-availability of alternative sites. When remediation of waste is done, the disposal of waste and daily waste accumulation are done at the same site, which makes the work difficult. Delhi government and DDA need to allot additional sites for this purpose.

It goes without saying that both the BJP and AAP are responsible for the ever increasing garbage mountains in Delhi - Height at Ghazipur is over 56 metre, Bhalswa is over 54 metre and Okhla over 40 metre. Ghazipur and Bhalswa landfills areas are 70 acres each while Okhla landfill area is 46 acres. Among numerous problems, one is catching fire, which deteriorates the already dangerous level of air pollution in the national capital. (IPA Service)