The Deonar dumping ground is the waste dumping ground or landfill for the city of Mumbai . Located in Deonar , an eastern suburb of the city, it is India's oldest and largest dumping ground, set up in 1927.
Geography[]
The dumping ground extends over 132 hectares and receives 5,500 metric tonnes of garbage, 600 metric tonnes of silt and 25 tonnes of bio-medical waste daily. Between March and June the daily amount of silt rises to more than 9,000 metric tonnes because of drain cleaning in advance of the monsoon season.
The dump rises to around 114 ft. high. However, in February 2012, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation sought permission from the Airport Authority of India (AAI) to increase this to around 164 ft.
There is another dumping ground in Mulund in the north-eastern part of the city, where about 2,000 metric tonnes of garbage are dumped daily.
Health issues[]
The Deonar dumping ground has caused health issues for the residents of Chembur, Govandi and Mankhurd. Recurrent fires at the dump have caused conditions unfit for habitation for residents of the adjacent area. In 2008, around 40 residents of Chembur went on a hunger strike to protest against the frequent fires and smoke. Again in 2012, Chembur residents complained to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on the smoke coming out of the dumping ground, which has been affecting asthma patients.
Closure[]
In August 2008, it was reported that after receiving complaints from residents about the stench and pollution from the dump, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had decided to close down a section of the dumping ground and use it to generate 7 to 8 MW of power by methane extraction, adding 40 crore (US$7.28 million) to BMC’s revenue. A few months later, BMC granted a contract for the scientific partial closure of the dumping ground for 704 crore (US$128.13 million). Partial closing was to take place in two phases, 65 hectares in the first phase, and in the second phase construction of a processing plant and sanitary landfill on the remaining 55 hectares.