1700 MT of fresh waste being dumped at Ghazipur landfill site daily, reveals report

New Delhi: A court commissioner appointed by National Green Tribunal (NGT) has recommended the need for an independent third-party audit to evaluate the reduction in the height and volume of the Ghazipur landfill, along with methane mitigation and fire-prevention measures undertaken so far.After a major fire took place at the landfill site in April 2024, NGT took suo moto cognisance of a media report. MCD submitted a status report in Oct last year, after which the tribunal asked the court commissioner to examine it.A report dated April 6 filed by court commissioner Katyayni, which has been submitted to the tribunal, noted about 1,700 metric tonnes of fresh waste continue to be dumped at the site daily.“The Ghazipur sanitary landfill site receives 2,400 to 2,600 MT of fresh waste every day.

Of this, the waste-to-energy (WTE) plant at Ghazipur processes 700 to 1,000 MT/day. Fresh waste dumped at landfill is 1,700 MT,” said the report.The court commissioner also pointed out that the Ghazipur WTE plant remained non-operational for eight months between April and Dec 2025, leading to an additional 900 tonnes per day of waste being added to the landfill. Besides, the report flagged that leachate management at the site appears to be inadequate.

The report also stressed that the WTE plant is utilised undercapacity or deficient. “It receives 700- 1,000 MT/day. The nominal capacity is 1,300 MT/day, and operational capacity is 800 to 850 MT/day… It remained non-operational for extended periods spanning April to Dec 2025. There were repeated shutdowns due to fires in the boiler area and other operational failures... These admissions demolish the contention that the WTE facility meaningfully mitigates waste accumulation at the Ghazipur landfill,” it stated.The report highlighted that MCD admitted that construction and demolition (C&D) waste is received and stacked at the landfill site.“However, the same is spread over the landfill to curtail fire produced due to methane production. Does C&D waste halt subsurface anaerobic processes generating methane? What is the action plan for capturing methane through engineered gas collection system?” the court commissioner asked in her report.

She suggested an independent third-party verification of fire risk mitigation and methane emissions.In its affidavit, MCD mentioned the leachate flow through kachcha drains. “The drain located near gate number 2 was a pucca drain, but with passage of time, the condition has deteriorated. To strengthen/reconstruct the drain, a proposal has been moved. There is another drain connected to the leachate tank which is near the fish market,” MCD stated.The court commissioner responded saying that while the problem has been identified, the solution is awaited and no definite timeline has been provided.