Mumbai: A day after the Bombay high court warned the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) that if methane emissions caused by mismanagement of the Kanjurmarg dumping site and their ill-effects are not curtailed soon, it would be restrained to stop all activities there and would require authorities to look for an alternative site, Justices Girish Kulkarni and Aarti Sathe visited the landfill on Saturday.
Surprise Inspection of Dumping Ground
During the two-hour surprise visit to the dumping ground and the waste treatment facility, the two judges, who are hearing a petition filed by Kannamwar Nagar residents highlighting concerns over rising pollution at the ground, were given a presentation on the processes adopted, including recycling, and other uses derived from waste, such as generating power using methane gas.
Kanjurmarg landfill was recently ranked the 12th highest methane-emitting site globally, according to a 2026 study by the University of California, Los Angeles. Currently, around 6,300 metric tonnes (MT) or 90% of the city's total municipal solid waste is transported daily to the Kanjurmarg dumping ground.
Judges' Concerns Over Proximity to Residential Area
During Saturday's visit, the HC judges voiced their concerns over the proximity of the dumping ground to the crowded residential area of Kannamwar Nagar and large mangrove areas. A BMC team presented the series of mitigation activities it had undertaken and the procedures employed to ensure waste is converted to useful material.
Civic officials said the judges and team of lawyers, including senior civic counsel Anil Sakhare, state lawyer Jyoti Chavan, Kannamwar CHS counsel Abhijeet Rane, and the advocate Saket Mone, saw the entire processing plant, the material recovery facility, and tarpomatic coverings that have been placed.
Recommendations for Long-Term Solutions
Civic officials said they also presented the report by the high-powered monitoring committee set up in January on the Kanjurmarg municipal solid waste processing facility, recommending immediate odour-control measures, engineering upgrades, and a long-term shift to advanced waste-processing technologies.
The court has warned that failure to address the methane emissions could lead to a complete halt of activities at the site, forcing the BMC to find an alternative dumping ground. The judges emphasized the need for urgent action to protect the health of residents and the environment.
