Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s proposal for 1800 TPD waste to the energy (WTE) plant in India has drawn backlash from residents, activists and legal professionals who fear that the plant will further reduce the air quality of the already poor Govandi Area Area the Govandi Public Public Sealdions, resulting in Govervandi Public Sealth Seformence to Graver Public Sealth Seformences.
The WTE project was awarded to Chennai MSW Pvt. The limited company plans to conduct commissioning by October 2025 with an estimated cost of Rs 26.48 crore. The facility, with a distribution of more than 8.2 hectares, is expected to process 600 metric tons of waste every day and generate 17 million units of energy per year. However, emissions of harmful gases and their potential to aggravate respiratory diseases persist, aggravate respiratory diseases in areas of tuberculosis, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Zakir (30) is a long-time resident of Baiganwadi near the Deonar ruins and expresses anxiety about the impact of the project. “All other houses here have tuberculosis or asthma patients. A project with another pollutant will make survival more difficult,” he said. The area consists of more than 200 informal settlements, with more than a million people, many of whom live near the Dinar dump and has reported a high level of contact with toxic emissions.
“This technology may claim to control emissions, but the ground reality is different. I work in a dump; I know what’s going on,” said another Baiganwadi resident who also worked in a landfill. Residents also expressed concern that the same area was designated to repair displaced families under the Dharavi reconstruction project.
Legal intervention has also begun to take shape. Advocate Abid Abbas Sayyed has formally objected to multiple authorities including the BMC Commissioner, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Commission (MPCB) and the Central Pollution Control Commission (CPCB). In his letter, he questioned the environmental removal granted to the plant, warning that incineration would produce carcinogens, dioxins, furans, carbon monoxide and sulfur oxides.
“What guarantees are the factory that will not worsen the existing breathing conditions?” asked Mr. Thayed. He noted that the biomedical waste facility established at the same site in 2009 operated for five years without the MPCB license. Despite a court order six months ago requiring it to relocate, the basis for compliance is still under trial.
Residents of Shivaji Nagar, such as Aditya (35), also had similar frustrations. “We were told that biomedical plants are safe. But now we wake up in the vehicle with black smoke ash and a constant odor.” “The average life expectancy here is reportedly only 39 years. How much does BMC extract from Govandi?”
Govandi’s new Sangam Welfare Association has filed a petition in the Mumbai High Court to close the biomedical waste facility operated by citizen contractor SMS Envoclean Pvt. Meanwhile, the MPCB claims to have conducted a one-year study before the approval of the Deonar WTE project. Rakesh Dafade officials said pollution mitigation measures will be implemented, such as a 50-meter-high chimney and a system to remove toxins from exhaust gas.
Nevertheless, critics argue that these technical regulations do not address the core problem: the lack of waste isolation. “Deonar has obtained a mixture of biodegradable, plastic, hazardous and biomedical waste, with no source isolation,” Adia said. “How will the government ensure that only the appropriate waste is processed for energy recycling?”
Sayyed’s letter of objection citing Rule 15 of the 2016 Solid Waste Management Rules, highlighting the so-called failure of the BMC to ensure isolation at the source, scientific treatment and proper waste flow management. He noted that Mumbai’s high organic waste content reduced its calories value, rendering it ineffective incineration, a fact that it was confirmed by seven species of 14 WTE plants in India.
Militants and residents called for immediate stay on the project and requested a new Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) through stakeholder consultation. They also urged comprehensive environmental and health impact research in the region and established a special survey team (SIT) to review the operations of existing WTE facilities nationwide.
Mr Sayyed also filed an RTI application to seek detailed records of plant clearance, approval process and environmental assessment.
As the debate continues, the Govandi people are waiting for clarity to pursue whether energy will once again come at the cost of health.
publishing – May 10, 2025 at 11:17 pm ist
