MCD and NDDB Sign MoU to Set Up Bio-Gas Plants Using Cow Dung in Delhi

Amit Shah said the project will improve urban cleanliness while creating additional income for livestock owners and supporting organic farming.

Delhi has taken a major step towards cleaner waste management and renewable energy with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) plants that will process cow dung into clean fuel.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who described the initiative as a model that can be replicated in major cities across the country. Senior leaders, including Union Animal Husbandry Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, attended the event.

Project links waste management with clean energy and farmer income

Amit Shah said the project will improve urban cleanliness while creating additional income for livestock owners and supporting organic farming. Under the agreement, livestock farmers will receive ₹1 per kilogram of cow dung, creating a financial incentive for proper waste collection and disposal.

The cow dung will be processed at the Nangli, Ghoga-Goyla and Ghazipur waste management facilities, where it will be converted into compressed bio-gas. The initiative is expected to reduce waste entering drains and improve the city's waste management system while producing cleaner energy. Shah said the project also has the potential to benefit rural livestock farmers in the future once similar models are adopted across other parts of the country.

Initiative supports Yamuna clean-up mission

The Union Home Minister said cleaning the Yamuna River remains one of the government's top priorities and stressed that the river cannot be restored unless sewage and waste discharge are stopped completely. He said work has already begun on around 80 treatment plants to process sewage and industrial wastewater across Delhi. Preventing cow dung from entering the river is another important part of the larger clean-up effort, particularly given the presence of nearly 1.25 lakh cattle in the city.

Shah expressed confidence that by December 2028, Delhi will achieve the target of ensuring that no untreated wastewater flows into the Yamuna. He added that the bio-gas initiative represents an important step towards cleaner cities, renewable energy production and better livelihoods for livestock farmers.