The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is pushing forward with plans to establish its fifth major facility for handling construction and demolition (C&D) waste, marking a significant step in the capital's waste management strategy. The new plant will be located in the Tehkhand area.
Project Timeline and Operational Scope
The agency selected for the project is scheduled to take physical possession of the seven-acre site on January 1. Following this, officials estimate it will take approximately one year to set up the plant and make it fully operational, pending the acquisition of all necessary statutory permissions.
This facility is designed to manage the entire chain of C&D waste for the corporation's central and south zones, covering collection, transportation, processing, and final disposal. In its initial phase, the concessionaire will have the capacity to process up to 1,000 tonnes of waste per day. This capacity is planned to be doubled to 2,000 tonnes per day within a two-year period.
Advanced Features and Infrastructure
The upcoming Tehkhand plant is envisioned as a compact and fully computerized facility. It will feature an integrated processing unit, which includes specialized equipment like a log washer for handling both coarse and fine aggregates. The end products are mandated to meet all prescribed quality specifications and standards.
The project involves comprehensive groundwork and modern infrastructure:
- Procurement of GPS-enabled vehicles for waste transport.
- Conducting hydrological and flood-risk assessments for the site.
- Soil investigation for design compliance.
- Installation of a digital weighbridge with CCTV coverage.
- Implementation of necessary safety arrangements.
Boosting Delhi's Overall Waste Processing Capacity
Currently, Delhi relies on four operational C&D waste processing plants located at Bakkarwala (1,000 TPD), Burari (1,500-2,000 TPD), Ranikhera (1,000 TPD), and Shastri Park (1,000 TPD). The addition of the Tehkhand plant is a game-changer. A civic official stated that once all five plants are operational, the MCD will be able to process between 5,500 and 6,000 tonnes of C&D waste daily.
To support this system, the MCD currently operates 125 secondary waste collection points across the city, from where waste is transported to these processing facilities. In a further move to curb dust pollution and streamline disposal, the corporation plans to soon designate specific debris disposal sites in each of its 250 wards.
The initiative is also showing promising results in terms of recycling and reuse. Data reveals that between April 1 and November 30 this year, 4.4 lakh metric tonnes of processed material from the existing four plants was sold in the private market. Government agencies procured an additional 0.85 lakh metric tonnes. Projections indicate that by 2026, the total quantity of processed material is expected to reach 12 lakh metric tonnes, with the private sector consuming about 10 lakh MT and government agencies using the remainder.
