BMC extends Deonar tender deadline as bidders demand clarity

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) faces a significant challenge in its bid to clear the Deonar dumping ground, a critical step for the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP). A tender worth INR 2,368-crore was floated on 14 May to appoint a contractor for the scientific bio-remediation of untreated solid waste within three years. However, the project has hit an initial roadblock, with the bid submission deadline extended from 20 June to 4 July.

21 bidders have expressed interest in the project, but civic officials confirm no formal bids have been submitted. The interested parties are seeking crucial clarifications regarding the terms and conditions of the tender. This lack of initial bids and the subsequent extension are driven by the BMC's desire to ensure competitive pricing and address concerns raised by potential contractors.

The Deonar dumping ground is one of the key sites earmarked for the construction of housing tenements for the DRP, spearheaded by the Adani Group and the government of Maharashtra’s Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA). The state government had approved the use of 124-acres of the Deonar site for this purpose in October 2024, seven months after the initial tender was floated. The land development will be handled by Dharavi Mega Developers Private Limited (NMDPL), a special purpose vehicle with 80% stakes held by Adani Properties and 20% by the SRA.

Specifically, the BMC has stipulated that 27.4-acres of the 131-acre dump site must be cleared. Contractors are apprehensive about the feasibility of the 36-month timeline, considering Mumbai's four-month monsoon season. During the monsoons, waste removal cannot be executed, effectively reducing the operational period for the appointed contractor to just 24 months.

A 2023 waste characterisation study commissioned by the BMC has cast a stark light on the environmental hazards posed by the Deonar landfill, which has been operational since 1927. The study revealed that indicators of environmental toxicity, including biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and total dissolved solids (TDS), were found to be four times above the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) prescribed limits in both solid waste and leachate (the toxic fluid seeping from waste mounds).

This revelation directly contradicts the BMC’s earlier assurances of clearing legacy waste within three years and has reignited debate over the proposed relocation of Dharavi residents to this very site as part of the DRP.

The scale of the challenge is immense. Deonar currently manages 600–700-metric tonnes (MT) of Mumbai’s daily waste, accounting for roughly 10% of the city's total waste generation. Furthermore, a 2024 CPCB report submitted to the National Green Tribunal identified Deonar as one of the country’s top 22 methane hotspots, emitting 6,202-kilogrammes of methane per hour. This has significant climate and health implications.

Periodic fires erupt among the waste mounds, releasing noxious fumes that have long plagued surrounding neighborhoods such as Govandi, Mankhurd, and Shivaji Nagar. Studies have linked these environmental stressors to an alarmingly reduced life expectancy in the area, nearly half the national average.

Despite these red flags, the state’s relocation plan appears to be moving forward with urgency. A telling comparison can be drawn with the ongoing cleanup of the Mulund dumping ground. This site, which is four times smaller than Deonar and holds only a third of its waste volume, has seen a cleanup effort spanning seven years. To date, only 67% of the waste has been cleared, and just 25% of the 60-acres have been reclaimed. This precedent suggests that Deonar, with its vastly larger and more toxic challenge, will require a monumental effort to clear within the proposed time frame.

The extended deadline for bids underscores the complexities of this project. The success of the DRP hinges significantly on the efficient and timely remediation of the Deonar dumping ground.