DDA Gives Green Light to Land-Use Change for 800-MT Ghazipur Waste-to-Energy Plant.

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on Wednesday approved a change in land use for a 10-acre plot in Ghazipur, paving the way for a fresh-waste processing facility with a capacity of at least 800 tonnes per day and an accompanying biogas plant.

The land, secured by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) from the DDA near the Integrated Freight Complex (IFC) in Ghazipur, will be used to process newly generated municipal waste as part of the civic body’s plan to divert fresh waste from Delhi’s three major landfill sites — Ghazipur, Bhalswa and Okhla.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Lieutenant Governor and DDA Chairman Taranjit Singh Sandhu. The authority also approved the Master Plan for Delhi-2047 (MPD-2047) at the meeting.

Officials said the DDA approved changing the land-use category of the Ghazipur plot from “Commercial (Freight Complex)” to “Utility” to facilitate the waste-to-energy project. The facility is expected to help reduce the environmental impact of waste disposal and support efforts to create a cleaner and greener Delhi.

Of the 10-acre parcel, five acres will be used for the fresh-waste processing facility, while the remaining five acres will accommodate a biogas plant, according to MCD officials.

The two facilities are expected to reduce the volume of fresh municipal waste reaching the Ghazipur landfill and help accelerate efforts to clear legacy waste from the site.

The Ghazipur project is part of a broader MCD plan to establish five fresh-waste processing facilities across Delhi by October-end, with a combined processing capacity of up to 5,900 tonnes per day.

At Bhalswa, a 1,800-tonne-per-day facility is planned on 12 acres of reclaimed landfill land. Another 700-tonne-per-day plant is proposed on a 6.6-acre silt disposal site at Singhola. At the Okhla landfill, 10 acres of reclaimed land will be used for a facility capable of processing 1,400 tonnes of fresh waste daily.

In Narela-Bawana, around 10 acres of a 35-acre parcel have been earmarked for a 1,200-tonne-per-day processing unit.

The MCD has completed the tendering process and issued work orders for the projects, officials said. The facilities are expected to support the time-bound flattening of landfill sites by preventing further accumulation of fresh waste.

Delhi generates around 12,847 tonnes of municipal waste every day, while its four existing waste-to-energy plants currently process approximately 7,642 tonnes daily, leaving a significant quantity requiring disposal or further treatment.

Officials said fresh municipal waste poses a different processing challenge compared with legacy waste accumulated at landfill sites over several years. Legacy waste is largely dry and contains about 60% inert material, making it suitable for processing through existing trommel machines.

Fresh household waste, however, is predominantly wet and mixed and cannot be effectively processed through conventional bio-mining trommels. The MCD therefore plans to deploy large-capacity trommel units capable of handling wet waste.

Separately, the DDA approved a change of land use for 752.51 square metres, or around 900 square yards, at Pocket-B in the IFC, Ghazipur. The parcel will be changed from “Public and Semi-Public (PS-1)” to “Recreational” for compensatory green cover in lieu of the land being used for the waste-processing project.

The DDA also approved the MPD-2047, which will guide the future growth and development of the national capital. The plan will now be sent to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for final approval and subsequent notification, the authority said.