India, Nov. 8 -- The Union housing and urban affairs minister, Manohar Lal Khattar, on Saturday launched the Dumpsite Remediation Accelerator Programme (DRAP), a mission-mode initiative to expedite the clearance of 245 legacy waste dump sites across the country, including 214 high-load locations that account for nearly 80% of India's remaining legacy waste, at the inaugural session of the National Urban Conclave.

Among the largest of these sites, Delhi's Bhalswa landfill has shown early progress. Khattar, who adopted the site on September 17 to monitor the work, said 4.79 lakh tonnes of waste were remediated between September 17 and November 6. The site is now projected to clear 40 lakh cubic metres of waste by October 2026, unlocking ne...