Delhi: Bhalswa Landfill Fire Is The Fourth In Garbage Dumping Ground In Past One Month
A massive fire is raging at the Bhalswa landfill site in north Delhi, even after more than 18 hours after it was first spotted.
The fire department received information about the blaze around 5.47 pm on Tuesday following which 10 fire tenders were rushed to the spot.
Later, three more fire tenders were pressed into service.
Will take time to put out the fire
Officials informed that the process to put out the fire completely will still take some time. "We may need a JCB to excavate the dumping ground in pockets and put soil on it to extinguish the fire," said the official. Delhi Fire Service chief Atul Garg informed that the situation is now under control.
Currently, five fire tenders are at the spot, trying to douse the flames.
Thick smoke was seen engulfing the area, after which residents complained of itchy eyes and breathing problems.
The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, however, officials said the rising temperature these days allows the formation of methane gas at the dump yard site which is extremely flammable. "It could have triggered a spark that would have ultimately led to this massive blaze," said the official.
Experts have time and again said that to prevent such incidents at the dumping grounds, a layer of soil should be placed regularly after dumping the waste on the trash mountain. Whether it has been implemented or not, is yet to be learned.
Not an isolated case?
Notably, it is the second major incident of fire at a dumping yard in the past 30 days.
Earlier on March 28, a similar incident was reported from east Delhi's Ghazipur landfill site. In that incident, an FIR was also registered against unknown people for making an atmosphere noxious to health, negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter, and endangering the life or personal safety of others.
The fire was brought under control after more than 50 hours.
This is also the fourth fire outbreak being reported from a landfill in Delhi within a month.
Apart from the two major fire incidents, smaller outbreaks were reported in Ghazipur on April 10 and April 20.
Delhi's unending garbage problem
The landfills in Delhi, which have grown taller than the Qutub Minar over the years have always remained an unsolved crisis in the national capital.
According to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), 10,990 metric tonnes of solid waste is generated every day in Delhi. And out of this, around 51 per cent is sent, unprocessed, to the landfills, where it is dumped.
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