NEW DELHI, April 28 (Xinhua) -- A massive fire at a landfill in the Indian capital city Thursday continued for the third straight day, with firefighters struggling hard to douse it.

The fire at the colossal Bhalaswa landfill site that began on Tuesday evening was still raging.

Heavy pungent smoke emanating from the blazing landfill is hanging over the city and causing inconvenience to locals, especially those living close by.

Officials said fire tenders and firefighters are present at the site splashing water at the burning mounds of the garbage.

Initially, authorities rushed two fire tenders to the spot. However, as the fire spread, 40 fire tenders were rushed in to intensify operations.

"The fire is still raging and it is difficult for us to reach the upper portion of the landfill, where it is still blazing. The rising temperature and winds are fanning the flames," a fire service official said. "Firefighters can't climb up the mountain of garbage, for it will endanger their lives."

Residents living near the site have started complaining of breathing problems, sore throat and itchy eyes in the wake of the heavy smoke.

"I am unable to breathe and my eyes are itching. We are helpless, for we can't leave our homes and shift to another place," said Udayveer. "During the evening the landfill fire resembles a burning mountain and the heat from it adds to the already hot temperature that we are experiencing these days."

A school for underprivileged children of rag-pickers living near the landfill site has been closed for a week due to fire.

The local government of Delhi has accused the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) of negligence over the landfill, its toxic waste management and the problems generated from it.

On Tuesday Delhi's environment minister Gopal Rai said he has asked the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to submit a report on the Bhalswa landfill fire within 24 hours.

Reports said this is the fourth fire in Delhi's landfill over the last month, with the other three taking place in Ghazipur.

Meanwhile, the Delhi government Thursday directed DPCC to impose a fine of 5 million Indian rupees (65,265 U.S. dollars) on NDMC because of a massive fire at the Bhalswa landfill.

Though the cause of the fire remains unknown, NDMC officials claim the fire has been caused due to methane generated in the wake of the decaying organic matter in the landfill site.

According to local media, Bhalswa is among the three big landfills in Delhi, besides Ghazipur and Okhla. It is the second biggest after Ghazipur and is estimated to hold 8 million tons of accumulated legacy waste. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)