Four Indian Cities Turn Old Garbage Mountains Into Public Land
In short
- The national DRAP programme targets 214 legacy dumpsites across 200 urban local bodies, launched November 2025.
- Gorakhpur's 40-acre former dump is now the Kachre Se Kanchan Rapti Eco Park, processing about 400 tonnes of waste daily.
- In Raichur, 62,252 metric tonnes of waste have been processed and nearly 22 acres reclaimed, with green cover being restored.
Why the Good News Desk likes this one
Many Indian cities have pushed waste out of sight for decades, and the dumps grew close to homes and roads. The reported sites show that cleared land can become parks with a livelihood component, such as a women-led self-help group running a restaurant. The article notes that the real test is what replaces the dump and how new waste is handled.
From The Better India
For decades, India's growing cities have dealt with their waste by moving it out of sight. Over time, municipal dumping grounds have grown into mountains of mixed garbage, often close to homes, informal settlements and roads. But what happens when a city finally clears one of these mountains? Can land occupied by garbage for years become a park, a forest or another public space? And what happens to the people who have depended on these sites for their livelihoods? The Dumpsite Remediation Accelerator Programme (DRAP), launched in November 2025, seeks to accelerate the cleanup of 214 major...
