The newly formed local government of New Delhi has vowed to clean up one of its largest trash piles by March 2026, in line with its election promise to clean up India's capital city.

The Bhalswa dump is an unsightly mountain of garbage on the city's northern outskirts. It is one of several overflowing landfills visible in Delhi's skyline, with some as high as 60 meters (200 feet). 

Over 4 million tons of waste sits at the Bhalswa site, according to official figures.

Delhi's new environment minister, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, made the announcement at an event with other top city officials. They planted bamboo saplings at the reclaimed portion of the landfill site.

Reclaiming the land

Sirsa said the Bhalswa landfill was once a 70-acre mountain of garbage, adding that 25 acres had been reclaimed so far.

By the end of 2025, the landfill would not be visible from afar, he said. 

Efforts to clean up the site began in 2019. Local media reports show that the waste mountain's height has significantly reduced in the first year by 11 to 12 meters. 

However, the city simultaneously adds waste to the site as well. According to the latest estimates from 2023, Delhi generates more than 11,000 tons of solid waste each day.

India's ruling right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept the local elections in Delhi with a majority in February. A significant part of its election campaign was to clean up the polluted capital, including the toxic air and the taxic waters of the Yamuna River, which flows through the city. 

After clearing the Bhalswa dump, the government will address the Okhla and Ghazipur landfills as well.

The neighborhood around the Bhalswa landfill is home to thousands of Delhi's poorest residents. Many of them scavenge through discards, collecting anything that can be recycled, reused or sold to make a little extra money for their families. 

Edited by: Sean Sinico