In the shadow of North Delhi’s infamous Bhalswa landfill, a hopeful experiment recently met an unfortunate end. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), in a bid to reclaim a part of the 70-acre garbage mountain, planted thousands of bamboo saplings across five acres of land in March. But in just over a month, most of these saplings have withered away—succumbing to Delhi’s harsh heat and perhaps, harsher planning gaps.
The idea wasn’t just symbolic. Bamboo, known for its fast growth and resilience, was chosen to transform the toxic, legacy-waste-ridden land into a “green buffer zone.” Bamboo can grow up to 25 feet in a year and has been used globally for soil binding and pollution mitigation. However, what looks promising in theory often stumbles when it meets execution.
Experts say the Bhalswa soil is severely degraded and unfit for direct plantation. Years of landfill leachate and toxic build-up have stripped the soil of nutrients and altered its composition. “This isn’t just about planting trees,” said a Delhi-based environmentalist. “You need extensive soil treatment, research, and irrigation plans. Bamboo is hardy, but even bamboo can't survive without the basics.”
Despite a visit by top officials including LG V.K. Saxena and CM Rehka Gupta, who inaugurated the project with enthusiasm, the groundwork seems to have lacked scientific rigour. Two horticulture workers seen checking the roots reported that the saplings had dried up from the stems and leaves—an indicator of either poor soil conditions or inadequate watering.
There’s also the timing. March and April are among the driest months in Delhi. Planting without a consistent water supply in these months is akin to sending the saplings on a death march. Was it too ambitious, too soon?
The Bhalswa experiment may have failed, but it teaches an important lesson: greening polluted land demands more than symbolic gestures. It requires ecological planning, sustained funding, and most importantly—an understanding of nature’s limits.
Unless future reclamation efforts include real investment in soil revival and adaptive planting strategies, Delhi's landfill makeover may remain just another greenwashed dream.