NGT Pulls Up MCD Over Fresh Waste Mounds at Bawana and Singhola in Delhi; Seeks Compliance Report Within Four Weeks
Pranav B Prem
The National Green Tribunal (NGT), Principal Bench, New Delhi, has expressed sharp concern over the emergence of fresh waste mounds at the Bawana and Singhola landfill sites in the national capital, calling attention to serious lapses in waste management by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). The matter came before the Tribunal based on a Hindustan Times report titled “New waste mounds creep up on capital”, highlighting rising heaps of untreated waste despite years of judicial intervention on Delhi’s legacy landfill crisis.
During the hearing held on October 16, 2025, a Bench comprising Justice Prakash Shrivastava (Chairperson) and Dr. A. Senthil Vel (Expert Member) examined a detailed affidavit submitted by the MCD on October 13, 2025. The affidavit revealed that the Bawana Sanitary Landfill Facility (SLF), which has an approved capacity of 22.68 lakh cubic metres under the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) consent order, has already accumulated 26.80 lakh cubic metres of waste, clearly breaching permissible limits. The waste mound at Bawana currently varies between 22.3 and 35 metres in height, exceeding agreed slope and benching requirements stipulated in the concession agreement with the site operator.
The MCD admitted that, as per the concession agreement, the landfill height should be regulated to ensure that the top area remains 30% of the base area, with proper slope ratios and mandatory final capping. However, the excess waste includes significant combustible material stacked before the Waste-to-Energy (WtE) plant became operational in January 2017. MCD has reportedly asked the concessionaire to submit an action plan to rectify the excessive height and commence capping, but no concrete plan has yet been filed.
With respect to the Singhola site, the MCD disclosed that even though approximately 9 lakh MT of silt—which had accumulated between 2018 and mid-2022—was finally cleared in May 2025 following a biomining contract awarded in November 2024, fresh dumping began again in July 2025. This was attributed to urgent pre-monsoon desilting operations by municipal agencies. The Tribunal noted with concern that MCD still lacks a fully functional processing facility at Singhola, increasing the risk of yet another uncontrolled mound developing at the site.
The Tribunal observed that the disclosures made by the MCD point to clear environmental violations and failure to adhere to established waste management protocols. Consequently, the Bench directed the DPCC to file an action-taken report and the MCD to submit a progress report on remedial measures within four weeks. The matter has been listed for the next hearing on January 15, 2026.
Appearance
Respondent: Mr. Balendu Shekhar & Ms. Tanisha Samanta, Advs. for DPCC (Through VC) Ms. Puja S. Kalra & Mr. Virendra Singh, Advs. for MCD Ms. Jyoti Mendiratta & Ms. Ananya Basudha, Advs. for R - 4 Ms. Soni Singh, Adv. for CPCB (Through VC)
Cause Title: News Item titled "New waste mounds creep up on capital" appearing in the Hindustan Times dated 04.11.2024
Case No: Original Application No. 1303/2024
Coram: Justice Prakash Shrivastava (Chairperson), Dr. A. Senthil Vel (Expert Member)
