Garbage City (Large, open structures on the road, with trash spilling onto the streets — these are Delhi’s infamous dhalaos or garbage collection points. They were to be removed from the city by 2024, but at least 500 continue to remain operationa..., Pg4

Key Highlights:

• Delhi continues to struggle with overflowing dhalaos (garbage collection points) despite a 2024 deadline to remove them.
• The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) faces challenges in processing the roughly 11,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste generated daily.
• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has repeatedly directed the shutdown of dhalaos, ordering MCD to create a 'dhalao-free' city.
• MCD has established 325 fixed compactor transfer stations (FCTS) as an alternative, but faces space constraints and funding issues.
• The MCD budget for 2026-27 allocates Rs 4,797 crore to sanitation, with Rs 300 crore specifically for waste management.

Detailed Insights:

• Dhalaos, intended as temporary waste collection points, have become mini dumpyards due to processing gaps, weak segregation, and administrative delays.
• The Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2026, replacing the 2016 framework, mandate complete door-to-door collection and segregation at source, which Delhi has yet to fully achieve.
• While the MCD reports an average of 59% segregation at source across its 250 wards, ground realities reveal that waste segregation is often incomplete.
• The NGT has suggested alternative uses for dhalao sites, such as milk booths, EV infrastructure, libraries, or senior citizen centers.
• FCTS compact waste and transport it to waste-to-energy plants or landfills, with each station serving a 3-km radius and compressing 12-13 tonnes of waste daily.
• A major challenge is the increasing population and unauthorized colonies, which generate more waste than existing infrastructure can handle.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Dhalaos: Secondary waste collection points in Delhi, intended for temporary storage before transport to landfills.
• Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules: Guidelines for waste management, emphasizing segregation, collection, and scientific processing.
• Fixed Compactor Transfer Stations (FCTS): Facilities designed to compact and transfer municipal solid waste, serving as an alternative to dhalaos.