Garbage on the streets, congestion in the city: Decoding Delhi’s grim ground reality

By December 2024, all landfills and dhalaos – the three-sided open enclosures where sanitation workers consolidate daily waste before it is hauled away to landfills – were supposed to be closed down in Delhi.

That hasn’t happened.

According to information submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in July 2025, there were 1,494 dhalaos in Delhi. While 985 have been closed “and put to alternate use in public interest,” more than 500 remain operational. MCD officials told us that garbage is first collected from homes and streets, then brought to the dhalaos, where compactor machines are available, and then sent to the landfill.

The scale of the crisis is reflected in the annual reports of local bodies: 11,108 tons of solid waste is generated daily in the National Capital Territory of Delhi. While the administration claims that 100 percent of the waste is collected, less than half is actually treated. Only 5,280 tons, or approximately 47.5 percent, is treated, while 5,828 tons, or approximately 52.5 percent, is directly dumped.

When Newslaundry visited Mayur Vihar Phase 1, Govind Puri, Kalkaji, Malviya Nagar, and Saket, we found garbage scattered almost everywhere. The situation was even worse in areas where dhalaos were not properly monitored, causing significant inconvenience to nearby residents and shopkeepers. In many places, the accumulation even causes traffic jams.

Speaking to Newslaundry, public health expert Dr. Vijay Bajpai highlighted a stark social divide. He said, “You wouldn’t find these garbage dumps in posh areas of Delhi, but you’ll find them in areas where middle-class and lower-class residents reside,” adding that “responsibility should be fixed in this matter.”

Watch this report.

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