Shaheen Bagh’s permanent garbage pile: How waste took over a public road

New Delhi: At Thokar Number 8 in Shaheen Bagh, garbage is no longer just waste it has become a permanent landmark. An open dumping stretch running along a busy roadside has turned into a daily ordeal for commuters, residents, shopkeepers, and even wedding guests passing through the area. Despite daily visits by Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) trucks, the condition of the site has remained unchanged for years, raising serious questions about sanitation governance and public health accountability.

The dumping spot emits an overpowering stench that becomes unbearable during daytime hours. The road, already narrow, has further shrunk due to encroachment by waste, forcing vehicles, pedestrians, battery rickshaws, and cyclists into unsafe proximity. The stretch lies close to a marriage hall where weddings take place almost every day ironically, celebrations unfold just metres away from rotting garbage, stray cattle, and circling birds of prey.

A Daily Pick-Up, A Permanent Crisis

According to locals, MCD vans and trucks arrive every day to lift garbage from the site. Yet, within hours, the area returns to the same state or worse. Residents allege that waste from across Shaheen Bagh is routinely dumped here, turning the locality into an unofficial landfill without boundaries, fencing, or sanitation safeguards.

Cows, cattle, and stray animals feed on the waste, while eagles and crows hover overhead, underlining the health risks posed by open dumping. Food carts and mobile vendors continue to operate nearby, serving customers amid the filth an unsettling reflection of how normalised the crisis has become.

‘We Have Accepted Living Like This’

Shahrukh, a battery rickshaw driver who waits for passengers at the spot every day, says the situation has become a part of life. “People cross this place daily, but nobody notices it anymore. We have accepted living with this condition,” he says, adding that standing there for long hours is physically difficult due to the smell and unhygienic surroundings.

Conversations with other locals echo a similar resignation. When asked about the role of elected representatives, many residents claim councillors cite lack of funds as the reason for inaction. “If there is no money, why is all the garbage of Shaheen Bagh dumped here?” a resident asks.

Public Health at Risk

Experts have long warned that open dumping attracts disease-carrying pests and contaminates the air, particularly affecting children, the elderly, and those with respiratory conditions. Yet, the Shaheen Bagh site remains exposed, unmanaged, and dangerously close to daily human activity.

The question that looms large is not whether authorities are aware of the problem but why it continues to be ignored. As garbage piles up and roads narrow, Shaheen Bagh’s residents are left navigating a civic failure that has quietly become their reality.

Until accountability replaces apathy, garbage will continue to define this stretch not as waste to be cleared, but as a symbol of a city’s neglected promises.