Delhi Grapples with Soaring Garbage Levels, MCD Struggles to Manage Waste

New Delhi: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is facing an unprecedented challenge as the city’s daily waste generation has surged dramatically over the past few months.

Until April 2025, Delhi produced around 11,300 tons of waste per day. However, starting May 2025, this figure has skyrocketed, and by October 2025, daily garbage output had crossed a staggering 136,550 tons.

MCD Zones Under Strain
The increase is being observed across all 12 MCD zones and 250 wards. Currently, the MCD can effectively manage only 11,300 tons of daily waste. Of the total waste, approximately 7,000 metric tons are being processed or disposed of using various methods. The remainder is being sent to landfill sites, as the corporation has no alternative disposal options.

Among the 12 zones, eight are generating between 1,100 to 1,700 tons of garbage daily. Conversely, four zones—Narela, Keshavpuram, Civil Lines, and Najafgarh—have comparatively lower outputs, ranging from 500 to 900 tons per day over the past seven months. Notably, even in these zones, daily garbage has never exceeded 1,000 tons in the last seven months.

Zones with Highest Waste Generation
The highest levels of waste have been recorded in Central, South, West, Shahdara South, and Shahdara North zones, putting immense pressure on the MCD’s sanitation infrastructure.

MCD Campaigns to Tackle Waste
A senior MCD official stated that several cleanliness campaigns have been launched to combat the issue. In July 2025, the “Adopt Cleanliness, Prevent Diseases” campaign was initiated, followed by the “Freedom from Waste” drive in August-September. The “Swachhata Hi Seva” fortnight continued till October. Ironically, these campaigns coincided with the surge in daily waste, highlighting the growing challenge the MCD faces in managing Delhi’s garbage.