PARLIAMENT QUESTION: EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF LANDFILLS IN DLEHI-NCR

The Government of India has superseded the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, effective from 1 April 2026, to ensure proper management of municipal solid waste, including sanitary landfills. Under the 2026 Rules, sanitary landfilling is defined as the safe disposal of residual and inert waste with protective measures against groundwater, surface‑water, air‑dust, odour, fire, animal, pest, greenhouse‑gas, and erosion hazards. The Rules assign local bodies the duty to establish and maintain landfills, district magistrates the responsibility to ensure compliance, and State Pollution Control Boards (or Pollution Control Committees) to audit operations and upload reports on a central portal. Additionally, the CPCB issued a direction (27 Jan 2021) for biomining and bioremediation of legacy waste dumps, and the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR (Direction 91, 3 Jun 2025) directed actions to curb open‑burning‑related air pollution. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs reports that seven legacy waste dumpsites have been identified in Delhi‑NCR, with remediation completed at four sites.