Down To Earth photographer Vikas Choudhary visits the Bhalswa landfill, a symptom of the country's fast-filling dumping grounds and inefficient waste management strategies
Delhi's Bhalswa landfill is the size of four international sports stadiums and is already 15-storeys high. All three city landfills, including Bhalswa, were exhausted seven years ago. The city has nowhere else to dump its waste (Photos by Vikas Choudhary)
Delhi generates close to 4,000 truckloads of waste every day. As soon as a truck unloads garbage, ragpickers jump into the heap and start segregating
Child ragpickers often catch infections as they rummage through the garbage with bare hands.
Experts suggest that waste management rules must integrate ragpickers and waste dealers by providing them with a legal identity, dedicated space to segregate waste and protective gear like boots and gloves
Experts also say the government must evolve a strategy to deal with environmental degradation caused by existing landfills. These sites have been polluting underground water for decades and are highly inflammable, besides directly affecting the health of residents living in close proximity
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