The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has commissioned a leachate treatment plant at the “green-capped” Okhla landfill to overcome the problem of seepage during monsoons.

The corporation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a team of scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi for the purpose.

Additional commissioner of SDMC, Ramesh Verma, said the municipal body has prepared a proposal for around Rs. 25 lakh.

“The Indian Institute of Technology team will pick up groundwater samples from nearby villages -- which still use handpumps and borewells to extract groundwater for various uses -- to analyse their level of contamination,” he said.

Leachate is the black, foul-smelling toxic liquid emanating from rotting garbage at landfills, which not just has fungus and bacteria in it but harmful chemicals as well. It percolates down to irreversibly contaminate the groundwater as well.

Officials said they are trying to keep the already-capped portions of the Okhla landfill dry but rains are proving to be a problem. Slope stabilisation work at the landfill -- which involves upturning and aeration of the garbage and cutting layers to prevent trash from collapsing -- has been achieved in 60% of the area.

“Already, fresh earth has been spread on a part of this landfill and grass planted on it with the aim of reclaiming the landfill and turning it into an eco-park. However, rainwater seeping into the landfill from all sides is resulting in the generation of more leachate, which is dangerous,” said Verma.

In the last few months, SDMC has reduced the height of the 23-year-old oversaturated Okhla landfill from 58 metres to 38 metres.

The civic body has also commissioned an engineered landfill and 2000 metric tonnes per day waste-to-energy (WTE) plant to generate 25 megawatts power from trash.

First Published: Jul 17, 2019 09:08 IST