Even though the process to shut down Mulund dumping ground began three years ago, the work hasn’t gathered the required momentum due to multiple issues. The contractor wasn’t able to resolve the issue of management of the ash, which is the final residue of the scientific procedure on the waste. Manpower shortage due to lockdown, and monsoon were the other reasons for the delay. 

Mulund was the second-largest dumping ground in the city after Deonar. Spread over 24 hectares, the Mulund dump yard had been in use since 1967. Of the 7,200 metric tonnes of garbage produced by the city every day in 2018, around 1,500 to 2,000 metric tonnes was dumped in Mulund.  As per official data, more than seven million cubic metres of waste, towering to 30 metres in height had accumulated on the site. In June 2018, the BMC appointed a consortium of Prakash Constrowell Ltd, Infotech International Ltd and EB Enviro Biotech Pvt Ltd to process the waste at the dump using the latest technology for Rs 731 crore.