Mumbai: Will the proposed scientific closure of the Deonar dumping ground, followed by its handover for the Dharavi redevelopment project, merely shift the city’s gigantic waste problem from one location to another? Activists certainly think so and underline the urgent need for Mumbai to process its waste efficiently within city limits.
Last week, the state wrote to the BMC to scientifically clear the waste from the portion of Deonar dump land given for the Dharavi redevelopment project. However, Rajkumar Sharma from the Chembur-based advanced locality management and networking action committee (ALMANAC) and also a member of the court-appointed committee to monitor and improve conditions at the Deonar dumping ground said, “While there can be no justification for the solid waste on the site being mismanaged, scientifically closing the dump means we are gifting a prime plot to a private developer. Also, what happens to Mumbai’s solid waste? In such a case, we are not solving the problem but only shifting it to another place where the waste will have to be taken and processed.”
A senior environmental scientist raised concerns about Mumbai’s landfill capacity, stating that the Kanjurmarg dump site will soon become inadequate and that the city needs a backup site for contingencies. “It will be difficult for the BMC to find new land for a dumping ground for scientific waste processing as well,” the scientist said, adding that the waste should be collected only in Deonar for now because taking it to any other location would mean having to deal with fresh opposition from locals there.
A senior bureaucrat echoed these concerns, emphasizing the urgency for Mumbai to process its waste efficiently within city limits. “Managing waste within the city will not only be more sustainable but will help control rising transportation costs. If we try and get a dumping ground outside city limits, it will be opposed by locals and add to BMC’s transportation costs,” the official said. Meanwhile, Aaditya Thackeray in a post on X questioned why taxpayer money should be used to clean up solid waste only to hand land over to a private developer.
The land, spanning 124 acres of the 311-acre Deonar dumping ground, was approved for transfer in Oct last year by the state cabinet. It is to be used for constructing houses for Dharavi residents.