MCG seeks until November-December to set Bandhwari landfill cleanup deadline

MCG has told the National Green Tribunal that it cannot give a final deadline for clearing the Bandhwari landfill, where 17.2 lakh metric tonnes of waste were awaiting processing on August 16.

The corporation processed 3.6 lakh metric tonnes in the first eight months of 2026, it said. Two agencies were hired in January to process 14 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste, later expanded to 16.8 lakh metric tonnes. MCG’s action plan targets cumulative processing of 14 lakh metric tonnes by February 2027, but its own calculations show roughly 4 lakh metric tonnes of existing waste could still remain after the current contracts end in March.

Fresh municipal waste is also continuing to reach Bandhwari. MCG expects an alternative collection and treatment site to start operating on February 25, 2027; until then, it estimates another 3.25 lakh metric tonnes will be added at the landfill. That could leave more than 7 lakh metric tonnes at the site by March 2027.

Commissioner Pradeep Dahiya said MCG will seek state approval for another intervention and expects to determine the final completion date in November or December. The civic body has also submitted a Rs 24.9-crore leachate-management plan for approval, including a 150-KLD treatment plant and drainage works. Bandhwari’s processing target was already missed in the first five months.