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Why in News

A UCLA study titled “Spotlight on the Top 25 Methane Plumes in 2025: Landfills” — using data from Planet Labs’ Tanager-1 satellite and NASA’s EMIT instrument (aboard the International Space Station) — found that India has two landfills among the world’s 25 largest methane emitters:

  • Jawaharnagar landfill, Secunderabad (Hyderabad): 4th globally — 5.9 tonnes/hour
  • Mumbai landfill: 12th globally — 4.9 tonnes/hour

The climate impact of 5 t/hr methane is equivalent to 1 million large SUVs or a 500 MW coal power plant operating continuously.

The Technology — How Satellites Detect Landfill Methane

NASA EMIT (Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation)

  • Installed on the International Space Station in July 2022
  • Originally designed to map surface minerals, it was discovered to also detect methane plumes with high precision
  • Measures methane in parts per million (ppm) from Low Earth Orbit
  • Has detected >1,000 “super-emitter” methane sources globally

Planet Labs Tanager-1

  • A commercial satellite by Planet Labs
  • Equipped with a methane imaging spectrometer specifically designed for GHG detection
  • Much higher revisit frequency than government satellites — enabling systematic monitoring

Landfill Methane — The Science

How Landfills Produce Methane

Step Process
1 Organic waste (food scraps, paper, yard waste) deposited in landfill
2 Anaerobic bacteria decompose organic matter without oxygen
3 Decomposition produces biogas: ~50-60% CH₄ (methane) + ~40-50% CO₂
4 CH₄ escapes through landfill surface (if not captured)

Why Methane Matters

Property Detail
GWP (100-year) 28x more potent than CO₂
GWP (20-year) 80x more potent than CO₂ (short-lived but powerful)
Atmospheric lifetime ~12 years (vs CO₂: centuries)
Climate impact Responsible for ~0.5°C of observed warming since industrial era

Landfills contribute ~11% of India’s methane emissions (the rest comes from agriculture — paddy fields, enteric fermentation in livestock).

India’s Two Super-Emitting Landfills

1. Jawaharnagar Landfill (Secunderabad/Hyderabad)

Parameter Data
Location Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana
Global rank 4th — world’s 4th largest landfill methane emitter
Emission rate 5.9 tonnes/hour
Operator Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd
Area ~100 hectares
Status Active open dump; receives ~2,000 tonnes/day of MSW

2. Mumbai Landfill

Parameter Data
Location Mumbai, Maharashtra
Global rank 12th
Emission rate 4.9 tonnes/hour
Operator Antony Waste Handling Cell Ltd
Key sites Deonar (Asia’s oldest landfill, ~130 ha) or Kanjurmarg site

India’s Waste Management — Governance Failure

Scale of the Problem

Indicator Data
MSW generated daily ~170,000 tonnes
MSW that is landfilled ~40-50% (insufficient segregation + processing)
Open dumpsites 3,000+ across India
Landfill area Thousands of hectares nationally
Landfill gas utilised <5% (most escapes uncontrolled)

The Regulatory Gap

  • Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016: mandated source segregation, processing, and scientific landfilling — largely unimplemented
  • Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): operational for plastics; not yet effective for organic waste-to-landfill reduction
  • Swachh Bharat Mission: reduced open defecation but did not adequately address MSW processing
  • Landfill gas capture: only a handful of Indian cities (Kolkata, Surat) have any LFG capture-to-energy systems

What Should Be Done

  1. Source segregation — wet (organic) + dry (recyclable) + hazardous: reduces landfill organic load
  2. Composting and biomethanation — convert wet waste to compost or biogas instead of landfilling
  3. Landfill gas-to-energy (LFGE) — capture methane, generate electricity (CDM projects possible)
  4. Extended Producer Responsibility — shift waste management cost to producers

UPSC Relevance

Prelims

  • UCLA study: Spotlight on the Top 25 Methane Plumes in 2025: Landfills
  • Satellites used: Tanager-1 (Planet Labs) + EMIT (NASA, ISS)
  • Hyderabad (Jawaharnagar): 4th globally; 5.9 t/hr; Ramky Enviro Engineers
  • Mumbai: 12th globally; 4.9 t/hr; Antony Waste Handling Cell
  • Methane GWP: 28x CO₂ (100-year); 80x CO₂ (20-year)

Mains

  • “India’s solid waste management failures are now a measurable climate liability. Analyse with reference to landfill methane emissions.” (GS3)
  • EPR, SWM Rules 2016, Swachh Bharat — governance gaps in waste management

Facts Corner

Fact Detail
Study UCLA — Spotlight on Top 25 Methane Plumes in 2025: Landfills
Data sources Tanager-1 (Planet Labs) + NASA EMIT (on ISS)
Hyderabad rank 4th globally — Jawaharnagar, Secunderabad
Hyderabad emission 5.9 tonnes/hour
Hyderabad operator Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd
Mumbai rank 12th globally
Mumbai emission 4.9 tonnes/hour
Mumbai operator Antony Waste Handling Cell Ltd
Methane climate impact 5 t/hr ≈ 1 million SUVs or 500 MW coal plant
Methane GWP 28x CO₂ (100-year); 80x (20-year)
Landfills in top 25 India: 2 (of global 25)
SWM Rules Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016

Source: India's Landfills Among World's Top Methane Emitters — Hyderabad 4th, Mumbai 12th Globally — Ujiyari.com | Free UPSC & State PCS Current Affairs