Reclaiming the Land Beneath the Waste

This PIB backgrounder highlights the progress and transformation of legacy municipal waste dumpsites across urban India under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) and SBM-U 2.0. Initiated to tackle accumulated urban waste, SBM-U 2.0 drives time-bound scientific remediation through initiatives like the Lakshya Zero Dumpsite initiative and the Dumpsite Remediation Accelerator Programme (DRAP). Between January and December 2025, 3.66 crore metric tonnes of legacy waste were remediated across 459 Urban Local Bodies in 29 States. Case studies from Gorakhpur, Delhi (Bhalswa), Nagpur, and Raichur showcase how biomining and processing have converted hazardous waste mountains into public parks, ecological forests, integrated solid waste processing facilities, and reclaimed land.