Delhi’s Bhalswa landfill clearance deadline extended for sixth time to February 2027

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has extended the deadline for clearing legacy waste from the Bhalswa landfill for the sixth time, pushing the target from December 2026 to February 2027.

The revised timeline was included in an action plan submitted to the Delhi government, according to officials on Saturday, October 17.

The delay is linked to a change in the contractor responsible for processing and removing accumulated waste at the site. Officials said logistical issues associated with transferring the contract to another agency had delayed the work by approximately two months.

The previous contractor had been assigned to remove around 30 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste. Following the issue of a fresh tender, another agency took over the work at revised rates.

According to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s latest figures, 10.77 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste remain at Bhalswa, while 104.40 lakh metric tonnes have been processed.

The revised deadline follows several earlier changes to the clearance schedule. The target had previously been set for December 2026 before the latest extension to February 2027.

The corporation’s other landfill deadlines remain unchanged. Okhla is targeted for clearance by December 2026, while Ghazipur remains scheduled for December 2027.

At Okhla, 7.27 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste remain after 72.53 lakh metric tonnes have been processed. Ghazipur has 63.43 lakh metric tonnes remaining, while 45.80 lakh metric tonnes have been cleared.

The remediation programme began in 2019 following directions from the National Green Tribunal to address the accumulated waste at the city’s three landfill sites. The work involves excavating legacy waste and separating recyclable material from soil-like inert matter through biomining.

The civic body is also dealing with fresh waste continuing to arrive at the landfill sites. According to its figures, approximately 5,858 tonnes of fresh waste reach the sites every day.

The MCD has prepared a separate action plan to process fresh waste, which is expected to be implemented by mid-November.

The latest extension means Bhalswa’s clearance will take longer than previously planned, while the continued arrival of fresh waste adds to the challenge of reducing the landfill’s accumulated volume.