Mumbai News: Govandi Residents Plan To Move NGT Against BMC's Proposed Waste-To-Energy Plant In Deonar

Mumbai: Govandi residents are planning to move the National Green Tribunal against the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s proposed waste-to-energy plant in Deonar. The residents have cited violations of environmental laws, public health regulations, financial accountability, and urban planning norms in the consturction of the plant.

While BMC has ramped up efforts to commission the long-awaited waste-to-energy (WTE) plant by October 2025, residents of Govandi and Deonar have opposed the upcoming plant citing health concerns for Deonar area, which is already Mumbai’s most polluted area, suffering from toxic air quality and recurring landfill fires.

On Thursday, Govandi Citizens Welfare Forum issued a legal notice to the BMC, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) over the proposed plant. The legal notice, which has also been marked to NGT, raised concerns over the plant’s impact on the health of people living in Deonar and Govandi.

The letter cited ‘India's Waste-to-Energy Paradigm’ study which stated that the waste-to-energy technology in India fails due to high moisture content and low calorific value of municipal waste, making incineration unviable. It added that waste-to-energy incineration releases carcinogenic pollutants, including dioxins, furans, NOx, SO2, heavy metals, and PM2.5 & PM10, worsening air pollution in an already critically polluted area.

The residents have also alleged that the proposed plant is being constructed on the land originally reserved for public utilities under the Development Plan (DP) 1991, and its reservation was changed without public consultation. It also alleged that the site violates Central Pollution Control Board’s buffer zone guidelines, which require at least 500 meters distance from residential areas, whereas this plant is within 200 meters of densely populated settlements.

The citizens’ forum has demanded that the construction of the plant should be immediately halted and the environmental clearances should be revoked. It also demanded that the site selected for the project should be declared as illegal due to violation of Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act 1966 and CPCB buffer zone norms.

The residents have also demanded an independent environmental impact assessment (EIA) with public hearings and adoption of alternative waste management solutions such as composting and decentralised processing.

Shaikh Faiyaz Alam, convenor and founder of Govandi Citizens’ Welfare Forum, said, “A report by Comptroller and Auditor General of India had highlighted that waste-to-energy plants are not financially viable as they require excessive subsidies while failing to generate promised electricity. The World Bank had withdrawn its funding from a project in Gujarat due to environmental concerns, citing global failures in similar projects.”