Mumbai: Rs 2,368 Crore Deonar Landfill Cleanup Begins; Land to Be Used for Dharavi Rehabilitation
Mumbai, 15th May 2025: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has floated tenders worth Rs 2,368 crore to clear the century-old Deonar landfill, paving the way for the rehabilitation of ineligible residents under the Dharavi Redevelopment Project.
Following directives from the state government, the BMC’s Solid Waste Management Department has initiated a biomining project to scientifically process and remove 185 lakh metric tonnes of accumulated waste spread across 110 hectares. The waste forms a 40-meter-high garbage mound that will be removed over the next three years, including monsoon seasons. The daily target for the operation is 23,000 metric tonnes, involving around 1,200 truck trips per day.
Tenders for the project, open until June 3, are aimed at replicating the successful Mulund landfill biomining model. The move is part of the state’s broader plan to acquire land across Mumbai to relocate ineligible Dharavi residents as part of the massive redevelopment initiative.
Six months ago, the state approved the allocation of 124.3 acres of land at Deonar for the project. A formal request was made by the Dharavi Redevelopment Project Authority to vacate and clear the area through scientific waste processing. In response, the Revenue and Forest Department issued a letter to the Municipal Commissioner in February, entrusting BMC with the task.
The Deonar landfill, operational for over 100 years, is one of Mumbai’s oldest and most toxic waste sites. Its clearance is expected to be a critical step in transforming the area and facilitating urban redevelopment.
This massive cleanup is not only an environmental measure but also a vital infrastructural move to support the ambitious Dharavi redevelopment, which aims to rehabilitate thousands of families currently living in substandard conditions.
