LAHORE: The Mehmood Booti landfill site (solid waste dump site) spread over 42 acres is currently having a closure and rehabilitation process through environment-friendly scientific approach addressing soil and water pollution, leachate control, air pollution, gas emission and capping with multiple layers of soil and other material.

The scope of the Rs3.37 billion project, Rehabilitation of Mehmood Booti Dumpsite, include stabilisation of waste in desired shape, development of Leachate treatment and landfill gas recovery system, closure with capping and development of urban forest in Phase-I and establishment of a solar park in phase-II, Dawn has learnt.

“As being practised in developed countries, the landfill/dump sites are always closed using an environment-friendly scientific approach by addressing soil and water pollution, leachate control, air pollution, gas emission and capping with various layers of soil and other material. So, we are adopting this scientific method for the first time in Pakistan,” Imran Ali, the officiating deputy director (solid waste management and wastewater treatment) of the Ravi Urban Development Authority (Ruda) explained while talking to Dawn on Saturday.

According to him, the site is currently passing through a capping process under scientific and technical methods. The first layer, measuring one meter thickness, has been laid at the site after leveling it through cut and filling method. The second layer would be of geotextiles, followed by third of geomembrane, geotextile, drainage, geo-textile and the final layer of soil and compost material. The geotextile layers at landfill sites is considered as a crucial buffer and protection layer that prevents soil and groundwater contamination by acting as a filter and separation layer between the waste and the underlying soil or drainage systems.

The 42 acre Mehmood Booti will have urban forest, solar power plant under a Rs3.37bn project

“Using scientific methods, we will convert the most dangerous methane gas to carbon dioxide (CO2), which is very less dangerous than methane. At the end, we will have an 11 acres field on the top of the site that will be used for urban forest. The slopes being developed at the site will be used for establishment of a 5MW solar power plant,” Mr Ali explained.

According to documents, seen by Dawn, the Mehmood Booti dumpsite spans nearly 43 acres along the Ring Road. It has accumulated 13 million tonnes of waste since 1997, posing severe environmental and public health risks. The site is a major contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, primarily methane, which is 25 times more potent than CO₂ in trapping heat. Other critical issues include groundwater contamination from leachate seepage and air pollution due to unmanaged waste decomposition.

The key interventions under the project include an integrated waste management system through implementing modern waste management techniques such as sorting, recycling and proper landfill capping to control pollution; landfill gas recovery for energy production by capturing methane emissions and converting them into usable energy, aligning with waste-to-energy principles; leachate treatment through installing a leachate treatment plant to prevent the seepage of toxic waste liquids into groundwater sources and transformation into an urban forest and solar park by restoring land use through afforestation and renewable energy projects, promoting sustainability and biodiversity. The technology used in this regard included capturing and combusting methane to prevent its release into the atmosphere, contributing to emission reductions and following the clean development mechanism (CDM) standard ACM0001 for landfill gas capture and utilization, ensuring compliance with global carbon trading mechanisms.

The project’s lifecycle is 15 years (2026-2040) with long-term environmental sustainability goals and carbon credit revenue of Rs2.3bn, making it economically viable and contributing to Pakistan’s climate finance goals.

The project aligns with the sustainable development goals 3, 9, 13, which are about good health & well-being through reducing air and water pollution to improve public health, industry, innovation & infrastructure by deploying innovative waste management solutions and clean energy production and climate action through reducing GHG emissions and enhancing climate resilience through sustainable waste practices.

The work on the project, a joint venture of the Lahore Waste Management Company and Ruda, was launched in September last year. Its phase-I will be completed by the end of July this year, followed by the phase-II which is planned to be accomplished by Dec 31, this year.

“The Mehmood Booti project has opened up new domains for financing the environment-friendly projects in the country. This has further helped us get our Lakhudair landfill site, which is six times bigger than Mehmood Booti, declared as United Nations flagship project,” said LWMC Managing Director Babar Sahib Din while talking to Dawn on Saturday.

“For this, a considerable amount in the US dollars has also been approved by the UN for carrying out various studies,” he maintained.

Talking to Dawn, Ruda Director Communication and Environment retired Col Abid said the 13 million tonnes waste at Mehmood Booti was emitting 13 million cubic meter of carbon dioxide and 13.13 million cubic meter of methane, both greenhouse gases.

“The scientific enclosure of the site with 52 gas trapping wells and storage mechanism has mitigated the same,” he said.

According to him, the 60,000 cubic meter of leachate was spoiling the shallow aquifer till several kilometers of area and the placement of 13 wells and the treatment plant will mitigate the effect of the gases.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2025