A day before the Maharashtra Assembly elections were announced in October last year, the state government approved a controversial proposal to shift 50,000 to 1 lakh residents from Dharavi to rental housing at Mumbai’s Deonar landfill — one of India’s most toxic and active dumping grounds — as part of a redevelopment project led by a joint venture between the Adani Group and the state government, according to Indian Express.
An investigation by The Indian Express reveals that the decision, now under scrutiny, violates environmental norms set by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), which prohibit housing, schools, and hospitals within 100 metres of even a closed landfill. Deonar, however, is still operational, releasing 6,202 kg of methane every hour, making it one of India’s top 22 methane hotspots.
Under the Dharavi Redevelopment Project, spearheaded by Dharavi Redevelopment Project Pvt Ltd (now Navbharat Mega Developers Pvt Ltd), residents have been classified into “eligible” and “ineligible” beneficiaries. While 1.5 lakh eligible families will be resettled within Dharavi itself, the remaining “ineligible” residents are being moved to locations like Kurla, Wadala — and controversially, Deonar.
In September 2024, BMC transferred 124 acres of the 311-acre Deonar landfill to the state for housing. Despite CPCB guidelines, no environmental impact assessment (EIA) has been conducted so far. Officials from the Slum Rehabilitation Authority and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board confirm no prior clearance was sought.
What raises further alarm is the proximity of the proposed housing site to two upcoming plants — a Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plant and a bio-CNG unit — both within 50 metres of the plot. Union housing guidelines recommend a minimum 300-500 metre buffer from residential zones for such plants.
Senior IAS officer and project CEO SVR Srinivas defended the move, citing Mumbai’s acute land shortage. However, while authorities trade blame over who selected the site, the responsibility for cleaning up the hazardous landfill remains unresolved. Records show that NMDPL has asked BMC to undertake the task, but BMC claims the land was handed back “as-is.”
As the debate intensifies over environmental safety and resident welfare, the question remains: can one of Mumbai’s most toxic sites be turned into livable space — and should it?