Garbage from Ghazipur Dump to be used for Highway Construction

Solid waste from the Ghazipur landfill site will now be used for highway expansion projects by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

The announcement comes as a relief to the residents living around the area, as with the foul smell emanating from the decomposing garbage and frequent fires, the site had become a major cause of health concern.

Key Highlights

• The project is being initiated under the new Solid Waste Management Rules.
• It aims to remove, reuse and dispose of the solid municipal waste generated in the capital.  
• The collected waste will be divided and then processed to make it usable.
• It will be utilized for the expansion of National Highway 24 and other highways.
• The leachate generated during the process will be transported for processing and disposal to a sewage plant in Ghazipur itself.

The move comes after a study conducted by the Central Road Research Institute (CSIR) revealed that the waste in the dump contains around 65-70% of soil components that can be segregated and used for embankment construction.

It was followed by the signing of a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ between the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Union branches of Urban Development and Road, Transport and Highways and the  NHAI, according to which the dumping site will temporarily belong to the NHAI. It will be returned to the civic body post completion of the project.

In the last decade, the dump at the site has turned into a mini mountain, reaching the height of almost 50 metres, much above the permissible limit of 15-20 metres. The ground exhausted its capacity to take in waste material way back in 2002.