Reportedly, of the total garbage generated in the city, about 50% is fit for composting and 30% is recyclable. Only 20% should reach the landfills, say experts.
New Delhi’s tallest garbage mountain is all set to rise higher than the Taj Mahal by 2020.
As reported by news agency AFP, the rubbish heap grows 10 metres every year. It is already 65 metres high and will be taller than the 73 metre-high Taj Mahal next year.
“About 2,000 tonnes of garbage is dumped at Ghazipur each day,” AFP quoted an unidentified Delhi municipal official, as saying.
Taking up the area of more than 40 football pitches, Ghazipur landfill has no end to its foul-smelling growth.
“About 2,000 tonnes of garbage is dumped at Ghazipur each day,” a Delhi municipal official said
In 2018, a section of the hill collapsed in heavy rains killing two people. Dumping was banned after the deaths, but the measure lasted only a few days because authorities could not find an alternative.
“It all needs to be stopped as the continuous dumping has severely polluted the air and groundwater," the news agency quoted Chitra Mukherjee, head of an environmental advocacy group, as saying.
A survey conducted by the government between 2013 and 2017 reported that Delhi saw 981 deaths from respiratory infection while more than 1.7 million residents suffered from infections.
And India's garbage mountain is only getting bigger by the day.
Indian cities are among the world's largest garbage producers, generating 62 million tonnes of waste annually. By 2030, that could rise to 165 million tonnes, according to government figures.
