Ghazipur Fire Blazing On For Over 19 Hours But Landfill Fires Not New In Delhi

A thick blanket of smoke engulfed east Delhi's Ghazipur dumping yard as a fire that broke out on Monday continued to rage on in some pockets even after 19 hours. Two fire tenders have been stationed at the spot and a total of 50 fire personnel along with 10 fire tenders were working at the spot last night. A senior fire department official said the blaze, which erupted last afternoon, has been brought under control. Firefighting operations are still underway and it might take a few more hours to complete the cooling process, Chief Fire officer Atul Garg said.

"The fire is in the garbage mound and that makes it harder to douse. We cannot take the fire tenders upwards. The spot is vertically located and the water comes down when we spray it on the fire, which makes the task difficult," PTI quoted a senior official as saying.

According to the fire department, a call was received at around 2.30 pm about the fire in Khatta at Ghazipur on Monday. While no casualties were reported, the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai directed the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to submit a report on the incident within 24 hours.

Landfill fires

While the Ghazipur fire has caused concerns, fire incidents are not uncommon in Delhi.  According to data shared by the fire department, a total of four fire incidents at landfill sites -- two each at Bhalswa and Tughlakabad -- took place till Sunday this year. Last year, during the same period, a total of 16 fire incidents -- 12 at Bhalswa and four at Ghazipur -- took place.

In 2020, a total of 15 such incidents were reported and 37 were reported in 2019, the data stated. In April last year, the DPCC had imposed a fine of Rs 40 lakh on the EDMC after a fire broke out at the Ghazipur landfill site. Fires at the Ghazipur landfill are known to worsen pollution levels in the area.

What causes landfill fires?

East Delhi Municipal Corporation's (EDMC) standing committee chairman Beer Singh Panwar said the fire was caused due to "high temperature" as plastic is one of the major components of the legacy waste and methane keeps getting generated. He said the EDMC has deployed 22 bulldozers to help in the process of dousing the fire. 

Political backlash
 

Attacking the BJP over the latest fire incident, senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi tweeted, "Now that MCD has been brought directly under the Central Govt, maybe PM @narendramodi and Home Minister @AmitShah will care to tell us how they plan to deal with the crisis of the Ghazipur garbage mountain!"

Last week, the central government had tabled a bill to unify all the three civic bodies in Delhi, saying the 2011 trifurcation of the erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Delhi was "uneven" in terms of territorial divisions and revenue-generating potential.

AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar raised the latest fire incident at the Ghazipur landfill during the ongoing budget session of the Delhi Assembly and demanded action against the guilty officials.

(With inputs from PTI)