If Air Quality In Delhi Wasn't Bad Enough, Ghazipur Landfill Is On Fire, Emitting Toxic Fumes

A major fire is burning in the Ghazipur landfill in Delhi, which is adding to the already bad air quality of the national capital.

According to reports, the fire broke out in the late on Tuesday and spread to more areas throughout the night.

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No injuries were reported from the spot.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. The toxic smoke spread to nearby residential area, causing inconvenience to the area residents.

"We received a fire call around 9.56 pm on Tuesday night. Immediately, fire tenders were rushed to the spot. Eight fire tenders are still trying to douse the fire," said Atul Garg, Director of Delhi Fire service.

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Several videos posted online showed the fire and smoke engulfed a wast area.

GHAZIPUR DELHI ,DUMPSITE @ArvindKejriwal @GautamGambhir @aajtak @ndtv pic.twitter.com/gc9LwcqX0f

¡ª Rajesh engineer ?? (@rajeshengineer8) November 25, 2020

This comes as Delhi's air quality continues to remain in the very poor category.

On Wednesday morning, it had slipped to severe for the first time since November 15.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe".

Every year at the onset of winters, crop residue burning or stubble burning begins in Punjab and Haryana leading to heavy air pollution in Delhi.

AFP

Punjab recorded the highest number of stubble burning incidents this year, registering an increase of 46.5 per cent as compared to last year, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.

However, Haryana saw farm fire incidents reducing by 28.6 per cent this year.