Chintan report finds Delhi had 1,006 open burning incidents
A fresh report from Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group shows Delhi's waste management system is struggling.
Between December 2025 and April 2026, there were 1,006 open burning incidents across the city, and more than 37% were set simply to clear accumulated garbage.
The study points out that over 70% of these fires happened at burning sites that lacked waste collection services within 500 meters.
Zero-waste colonies fail wet waste processing
The study also checked in on 68 "zero-waste" colonies and found most aren't living up to the name: 85% don't process wet waste on-site, nearly half don't even separate their trash, and 37% lacked infrastructure for waste composting.
Only about 13% actually process their own wet garbage.
The researchers suggest setting up a dedicated team for landfill reduction, giving local groups more reasons to recycle, and getting NGOs involved, reminding everyone that fixing this mess will take steady effort and teamwork.