MCD to expand Okhla, Tehkhand waste-to-energy plants, ease Ghazipur landfill burden | Latest News Delhi

New Delhi

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is going ahead with the expansion of two waste-to-energy (WtE) plants in Okhla and Tehkhand, which are located near each other in southeast Delhi, to process waste from Shahdara’s north and south zones and ease the burden on the Ghazipur landfill, according to senior civic officials.

The capacity of each plant will be expanded by 1,000 tonne per day. The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission approved the expansion of the Okhla plant to produce 40 megawatts (MW) of power, from 23MW, on July 7, a senior MCD official said. The proposal for the Tehkhand plant is also advanced, at the stage of seeking environmental clearance, the official said.

“The (Okhla) plant is able to process 1,950 tonne of waste every day, and with the addition of another boiler unit, we will be able to feed 2,950 tonne of fresh waste daily. Tehkhand WtE plant’s capacity is being increased from 2,000 tonne to 3,000 tonne, which will increase its power capacity from 25MW to 40MW,” the official said, adding that environmental clearance for the Okhla plant was granted last year.

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Shahdara North produces 1,250 tonne of garbage every day and Shahdara South 1,200 tonne. Most of this ends up at the Ghazipur landfill, but the WtE here has a capacity to process only 1,300 tonne per day.

According to a report submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in February 2023, Delhi generates 11,332 tonne of waste every day, of which around 8,066 tonne are processed by segregation, recycling, composting and WtE plants and around 3,266 tonne are dumped at the Bhalswa and Ghazipur landfills.

MCD currently operates four WtE plants at Bawana (2,000 tonne per day capacity), Tehkhand (2,000 tonne per day capacity), Okhla (1,950 tonne per day capacity) and Ghazipur (1,300 tonne per day capacity).

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A second MCD official said that with the approval from DERC and the environment ministry secured for the Okhla facility, the on-ground development work for adding another boiler is set to commence. “The Okhla plant has two large boilers. Now, the work to add a third boiler will start. It is estimated that the work will be completed by March 2026,” the official said.

Officials indicated that MCD is currently inclined towards using incineration as the primary method of waste processing as WtE plants faced stiff resistance from residents of Sukhdev Vihar, located near the Okhla plant, over pollution concerns.

MCD is also planning to develop a fifth WtE plant, in Bawana, to process 3,000 tonne of daily waste, by August 2026. “Our target is that by late 2026 or early 2027,100% waste generated in the city should be scientifically processed,” the second official said.

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Ashutosh Ahluwalia, from Sukhdev Vihar RWA, said that residents will oppose the expansion of the plant.

“The waste to energy plant is hardly 100 metres from our houses and it should be shut. We bear the stench, ash and smoke from this plant. We will oppose this in court,” he said.

Experts have repeatedly pointed out that Delhi should focus on the segregation of household waste, into dry and wet components, instead of focusing on setting up WtE plants to process unsegregated waste.

Defending the move to set up WtE plants, the second official said that the waste management models of smaller cities cannot be easily replicated in a city with a population of more than 20 million people. “Existing landfills are oversaturated. People have been resisting setting up of new landfill sites in their areas. The WtE plants generate electricity for the city while also providing a solution to the waste disposal problem. In case of the Okhla plant, the RWA had already lost the case in NGT and their appeals remain pending in courts,” the official said.