The MCD is "fully committed" to scientific disposal of legacy waste at Delhi's three landfill sites and efforts are underway to remove these massive dumps by March, Mayor Shelly Oberoi said on Thursday.
Oberoi is currently in Australia to attend the Asia Pacific Cities Summit in Brisbane from October 11-13.
At the summit being attended by mayors from several countries, she also shared the story of three municipal parks.
Oberoi mentioned that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has furthered the concept of 'waste-to-wealth' by developing three magnificent parks -- Bharat Darshan Park, Waste-to-Wonder Park and Shaheedi Park.
These parks feature sculptures made from scrap and waste material, depicting historic monuments from India and around the world. The MCD also plans to build three more parks based on the concept, she said.
While the theme of the summit is "Shaping Cities for Our Future", it also covers technology, data, development and people's well-being as sub-themes.
On Thursday, Oberoi presented the work done by the Arvind Kejriwal government in the national capital, officials said.
"Our goal is to make Delhi the most beautiful and the cleanest city in the world, and 100 per cent waste disposal will be achieved," she was quoted as saying in a statement issued here by the mayor's office.
She mentioned that the MCD is working on waste processing through various technologies. Waste is being processed at Okhla, Gazipur and Tehkhand through three waste-to-energy plants, 20 composters, 211 compost pits, and other means.
"The corporation's goal is to scientifically process Delhi's waste and reduce environmental pollution to nil. The MCD is fully committed to scientific disposal of legacy waste at all three landfill sites in Delhi. Efforts are being made to remove landfill sites from Delhi's map by March 2024," she said.
The MCD provides essential services related to cleanliness, sanitation, primary health care and education, and urban planning for approximately 20 million citizens across its 12 zones, she added.
It has declared 353 colonies in the 12 zones as 'zero-waste colonies', Oberoi said.
Every day, the city collects 11,000 tons of waste from 250 wards that is sent to various waste-to-energy plants for disposal. To achieve this, Delhi employs 2,446 auto tippers, 52 road sweeping machines, 4,076 wheelbarrows and other vehicles and machinery, according to the statement.
In all the zones, 572 'dhalaav ghar (dumping yards)' and 290 community toilets are being established. Closed 'dhalaav ghars' are being transformed into facilities such as milk booths, libraries and reading rooms, etc, Oberoi said.
The MCD is dedicated to providing citizens a clean and pollution-free environment, she added.
In a post on X on Wednesday, the Delhi mayor shared pictures of her interactions at the summit.
"It was an immense pleasure to meet Mayor of Kiama, Councillor Neil Reilly, Mayor of West Torrens Councillor @MayorCoxon, Mayor of Shoalhaven Councillor @1amandafindley, Mayor of Taichung, Lu Shiow-yen among other Mayors and Deputy Mayors from across the world. They were very impressed with the CM @ArvindKejriwal's disruptive policies. We have to learn from each other's successes, if our objective is to grow as a community, as a nation," she had said.
