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Data collected as part of recent drone surveys conducted at the Ghazipur and Bhalswa landfill sites have found that the actual area occupied by the landfills is larger than what the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) had earlier reported.
The drone survey records from June this year were presented as part of reports submitted before the National Green Tribunal (NGT). According to the Ghazipur landfill drone survey report, the actual site area is around 75 acres. “As per the records/reports available and discussions with MCD officials, the site area of SLF (sanitary landfill) Ghazipur is reported as 70 acres,” the report noted. The site area of the landfill at Bhalswa was found to be 78.5 acres during the survey, while the MCD had reported it to be 70 acres, according to the survey report.
The MCD had appointed a consultant to conduct the drone surveys for an assessment of the volume of waste at the site, analysis of the slopes, “time and location stamped photographic records” of the condition of the landfill, and for measuring the changes at the landfill through periodic data collection. The area of the two dumpsites in 2020 was also submitted to the NGT as 70 acres by the erstwhile East and North MCDs.
The consultant also carried out a slope analysis of the Ghazipur landfill which, according to the report, helps understand its stability. While the slope varies from 30 degrees to 45 degrees in general, the landfill also has steep slopes of 45 degrees to 60 degrees “and at places due to excavation, the slope is up to 90 degrees,” the report pointed out. It added that these areas are like cliffs on the landfill site.
According to the report, the height of the Ghazipur landfill was found to be 65 metres from the ground, while at Bhalswa it was 62 metres. Another aerial survey will be conducted in September at Ghazipur and in October at Bhalswa to determine the changes in waste volume and slope to ascertain the progress in remediation at the site.
A joint committee constituted by the NGT earlier this year and chaired by Justice S P Garg, former judge of the Delhi High Court, noted at a recent meeting, “From the very inception, the Committee was informed that the total area of the Bhalswa landfill site was around 70 acres. It is unclear as to on what basis and documents/evidence the area of the dumpsite to be 70 acres was ascertained/assessed. In the Drone Survey Report, the land area of the dump site has been estimated to be 78.47 acres. This material inconsistency has remained unexplained. The Committee suggests that the Commissioner, MCD, should collect relevant documents to find out the exact area of the landfill site to make proper future plans for removal of the garbage at the dumpsite.”
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