Govandi residents up in arms over Deonar waste-to-energy project

Residents in Mumbai's Govandi area oppose BMC's proposed waste-to-energy plant, fearing worsened air quality and health risks.

Residents and activists from Mumbai’s Govandi area have raised strong objections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) proposed waste-to-energy (WtE) plant at Deonar, the country’s largest dumping ground, claiming that the ₹2,648 crore facility will worsen air quality and endanger public health.

The upcoming plant, to be installed by Chennai MSW Pvt Ltd over 8.2 hectares, is expected to process 1,800 tonnes per day of municipal waste and generate eight megawatts of electricity by October 2025. However, residents from nearby Baiganwadi and Shivaji Nagar fear it will emit toxic gases, aggravating respiratory diseases in an already vulnerable population.

“The prevalence of TB and asthma is already high here. Every other house has a patient. Adding another pollutant-heavy project is dangerous,” said Zakir (30), a resident of Baiganwadi for 25 years.

Another Baiganwadi resident, employed at the dumping ground, echoed the sentiment: “No technology can fully control emissions. This will only get dangerous.”

The area, home to over 10 lakh people across 200 slum pockets, also faces further crowding due to planned relocations from the Dharavi redevelopment project.

Bombay High Court lawyer Abid Abbas Sayyed, representing concerned citizens, has filed objections with the BMC Commissioner, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), and others. “The plant will release carcinogens, dioxins, furans, carbon monoxide, and sulphur oxides. Respiratory diseases like asthma and COPD are already rampant here. What guarantees are there that emissions will be controlled?” he asked. 

While the BMC insists the plant is environmentally sound and MPCB-cleared, residents remain unconvinced. “The biomedical waste facility here was also promised to be safe. Now, we wake up to black dust on our vehicles and a constant foul smell,” said Aditya, a 35-year-old Shivaji Nagar resident working at the dumping ground.