2 min readNew DelhiNov 12, 2026 12:36 AM ISTLast year, the Ministry had launched the Dumpsite Remediation Accelerator Programme to speed up the remediation work at 214 sites that accounted for 80% of the waste yet to be remediated. (File)With over 1,000 lakh tonnes of waste spread over 4,632 acres of legacy landfill sites across cities yet to be remediated, the Centre’s target for clearing all such dumpsites in the country has been pushed to December 2027, The Indian Express has learnt.Under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0, which was launched in 2021 and was to continue until October 1, 2026, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs had planned to remove all legacy dumpsites across cities in the five-year Mission period. While the Mission has been extended till March 2027, officials say the timeline for remediating all legacy landfills is now December 2027. Though most remaining legacy landfills will be cleared by March 2027, some will take time until December 2027, it is learnt.As of Wednesday, the Swachh Bharat Mission dashboard showed that of 2,607 dumpsites, 1,402 had been completely remediated, while the work was ongoing at 1,057 sites, with no progress shown for the remaining 148 sites. Out of the total 3,135 lakh tonnes of waste over 15,545.05 acres, 64% of the waste quantity had been remediated and 70% of the area reclaimed. This left 1,139 lakh tonnes of waste over 4,632 acres yet to be remediated.Speaking on the sidelines of the Swachh Survekshan Awards on Wednesday, Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal said work on the Bhalswa site in Delhi would be “completed by December 31”. “The legacy waste will be cleared, but fresh waste is still going there. The fresh waste will be processed separately. The Okhla site is almost clear, but Ghazipur will take one more year. Among the big cities, if there is any difficulty, it is in Chennai and Mumbai,” he said.Authorities in Mumbai recently began trials to remove waste from the Deonar dumpsite, which is considered one of the oldest and largest legacy landfills in Asia.Last year, the Ministry had launched the Dumpsite Remediation Accelerator Programme to speed up the remediation work at 214 sites that accounted for 80% of the waste yet to be remediated.Damini Nath is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. She covers the ho... Read More Tags:Landfills