Punjab: Dumping site consumed 18.25 lakh litres water in 2021 to douse fires

The spate of fire incidents at the dump site in Dadu Majra has not just caused environmental and health issues on the lives of citizens but has also consumed huge quantities of water. Around 18.25 lakh litres of water was used to douse fires in various incidents at the dumping ground in 2021. This information was provided by the UT fire wing to a UT resident Amit Sharma.

According to the details provided by the department to Sharma, in the last five years, from 2016 to 2021, about 40 lakh litres of water was used all together to douse the flames at various times. Such a quantity of water was used when there are villages and colonies, especially in the southern belts where there is scarcity of water.

Except one year, the data since 2016 revealed that the average quantity of water used to douse the fires only increased with time, which meant that the scale of fire incidents also grew in number. In 2016, about 5 lakh litres of water were used while in 2017, 6.3 lakh litres were used. In 2018, about 2.5 lakh litres were used and in 2019, it was 1.25 lakh litres. In 2020, 8 lakh litres were used while in 2021, a huge quantity of 18.25 lakh litres were used.

The data also specified how there were as many as 486 fire incidents from 2005 till July 2021. Every time there is a fire, smoke engulfs the entire area in such a way that it comes towards the residential areas. People staying around the site are being forced to breathe the toxic air. Dyal Krishan, President, Joint Action Committee for the Dumping ground in Dadumajra, while speaking to The Indian Express, said, “Almost half of our lives seem to have gone around this dump. We know how it is when there is a fire”.

Gas vents blocked

On February 21 last year, a fire broke out. On February 24, the Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee sought a reply from the MC to which they never got. On March 31 last year, another incident of fire took place and CPCC wrote to the MC again. It was stated that “the gas vents at the sanitary landfill sites have been blocked and due to release of methane gas from the dumped municipal solid waste, the dump catches fire.”

“It is important that all precautions should be taken to avoid such incidents as it leads to major air pollution problem. Earlier a letter was issued to you on February 24, 2021 but till date no reply has been received,” CPCC had said to the MC. They had also asked to submit an accident report and an action taken report. On April 12, the then MC replied to the letter stating that on February 21, at 4:30pm, there was a small fire due to methane gas and it turned into a major fire due to the wind at the dumping ground. Regarding the steps taken, it was mentioned that the municipal solid waste is being covered by soil from time to time, but no elaborate robust plan was shared.

As protocol, whenever such incidents of fire happen, the Chandigarh MC is supposed to inform the CPCC. Medical Officer of Health, CSI Sandeep Kumar stated that they don’t have any robust plan but since the last fire incident on March 31, they are making efforts to avert such incidents. He said, “I am getting regular capping of the area done with the help of soil. The problem is that whenever there is rain, the soil gets washed away because of which it again has to be done. The fire is because of methane gas and due to wind, it converts into a major fire.” He added, “This is the only solution we are working on. As such there is no proper plan but we keep doing this capping to prevent it.”

Impact on health

Dr Digambar Behera, former Professor of the Department of Pulmonary Medicine, PGI told The Indian Express how a fire at the dump site can cause long lasting impact on the health of the citizens. “When the fire takes place there, a lot of carbon monoxide is emitted and it has a serious impact on the lungs. Not just short term but long term impact as well. It can cause bronchitis, asthma and lung dysfunction,” Dr Behera said.