Adani Dharavi Project Faces Setbacks Over Deonar Landfill Delays and Rehabilitation Concerns

Public Lokpal
August 12, 2026

The ambitious Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP), spearheaded by the Adani Group and the Maharashtra government, has encountered major roadblocks regarding the rehabilitation of families, primarily due to severe delays in cleaning up the Deonar landfill.

To accommodate families deemed ineligible for free housing directly within Dharavi, the state earmarked 124 acres at the Deonar dumping ground to build relocation housing.

However, the critical bioremediation process—entrusted to clear the 99-year-old toxic waste site—is lagging by over six months.

Essential statutory clearances, including environmental permissions and approvals from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, remain stuck in administrative delays, pushing back project timelines.

This strategy has sparked intense controversy. Environmentalists and urban planners strongly criticize using the Deonar dumping ground for residential purposes, citing strict Central Pollution Control Board guidelines that prohibit housing near landfills due to severe methane emission and toxic pollution hazards.

While developers maintain that construction will only commence after securing total statutory approvals and safety verifications, the compounding delays threaten the project's rigid 2029 completion target, leaving the future housing security of thousands of residents uncertain.