A putrid smell remains in the air around the vicinity. Several residents said they are now used to it.
| Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap

Living near the Ghazipur landfill site has become a harsh reality for residents of the village on the Delhi-U.P. border and they are desperate for change.

Despite claims from the government that the landfill’s size has been reduced, the residents are sceptical. Political parties have often promised to address the issue, but little has changed.

“This [landfill] has been normalised for us. The governments [both at the Centre and in Delhi] claim that the landfill size has been reduced. But has it?” said Ashok, a resident.

Delhi’s highest landfill site covers over 70 acres and is surrounded by farms, slaughterhouses, and residential colonies. It lies a few metres short of the Qutab Minar and authorities have been dumping garbage here since 1984.

A putrid smell remains in the air around the vicinity and residents say they are now used to it. The area’s poor infrastructure and lack of basic amenities, such as tap water supply and affordable electricity, add to their woes.

“Netas don’t show up even during polls,” said Savitri Kumari, who operates a tea stall near the landfill.

“There is no tap water supply. We are dependent on a water tanker that comes every third day. Even electricity is expensive,” she said.

Kapil Sethi, a 47-year-old pastoralist, alleged that the residents feel isolated as no political party raises the issue of landfills. He said the situation is particularly dire when the landfill catches fire during summer and monsoon seasons, releasing toxic gases into the air.

“Why don’t we see politicians visiting us?” he said.

During the 2022 MCD poll, senior AAP leader Gopal Rai promised to solve the city’s garbage problem within five years if voted to power. Currently, AAP is in charge of the civic body, but the landfill remains a problem, with over 83.33 lakh tonnes of waste dumped there.

AAP has alleged that the BJP, which ruled MCD for 15 years, did nothing to solve the issue.

Ghazipur is part of the Kondli Assembly constituency and has been held by AAP since 2013. AAP has fielded MLA Kuldeep Kumar against BJP’s Priyanka Gautam and Congress’s Akshay Kumar.