Ghazipur’s garbage mountain catches fire again

The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said that they received a call at 2.27 pm, after which around 50 firemen were deployed. The fire spread to different piles of garbage within minutes, and officials said “highly combustible material” and smoke posed a challenge in firefighting operations.

DFS chief Atul Garg said, “We initially sent six fire tenders to the Khaata area in Ghazipur. After 6 pm, we called three more fire tenders to help control the blaze.”

Later at night, a senior DFS officer said it has been controlled: “Firemen are at the spot to douse the fire and for cooling operations. They might stop at night and start again in the morning.”

No police case had been registered until Monday night. “We will take legal action as per a complaint from authorities or workers from the site. We helped firemen and dispersed the crowd in the area,” said an officer.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai asked the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to look into the incident and submit a report in 24 hours. “Despite repeated warnings, the MCD doesn’t seem to understand its duty. This is not the first such instance of a fire at the landfill. Fire department teams have been sent to the spot to take control but seeing the situation at hand, DPCC has been ordered to investigate the matter. Their report has been sought in 24 hours. As per their report, strict action would be taken to deter such instances. In the past too, such instances have pointed towards the carelessness of the MCD,” he said.

East MCD’s standing committee chairman Beer Singh Panwar said methane gas released from the garbage is usually the main cause of fires at the site. That, coupled with the heat, could have sparked the blaze, he said. “The East MCD is constantly trying to reduce legacy waste at the landfill site. Continuous efforts are also being made to provide space for dumping garbage, and many letters have been written to the DDA in this regard, but no space has been provided so far,” he said.

AAP MLA Atishi also raised the delay in MCD polls and hit out at the Centre, asking who will take responsibility of people’s health.

Fires at the landfill have broken out frequently over the years. In March 2021, locals had complained of high pollution levels for days after the landfill caught fire. In November 2020, a fire had broken out at the landfill, burning for almost 24 hours before firefighters could bring it under control. A similar incident took place in October 2017, over a month after the garbage mountain had partially collapsed, triggering a fatal accident.