Mamta*, a domestic worker in Bawana, was resettled there after being evicted from the Yamuna Pushta settlement. Recently, the news of a waste-to-energy plant being built near her colony had filled the air with unease.
Mamta and the whole neighbourhood fear the pollution and health risks it might bring. She often heard neighbors talk about the danger, particularly the effects on children, but there was little information available. With no clear answers from the authorities, all she could do was pray for their safety.
A new waste-to-energy incineration plant is set to be established in Bawana to burn 3,000 tonnes of mixed municipal solid waste daily per day. Currently, Delhi burns 7,250 tonnes of garbage daily across plants in Okhla, Tehkhand, Ghazipur, and Bawana, with plans to expand the capacity of these plants by an additional 5,000 tonnes daily.
In total, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) aims to burn 15,250 tonnes of waste every day within the next three years, surpassing the city’s projected daily waste generation of 13,122 tonnes.
Amidst these developments, the new waste-to-energy incineration plant in Bawana has received attention through a public notice issued by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC). Titled ‘Proposed Waste to Energy Project (30 MW) adjacent to TSDF for Hazardous Waste, Sector 5, Bawana, Delhi, 110039’, the project is scheduled for a public hearing on December 27, 2024.
