Bhalswa fire rages on, AAP targets BJP
New Delhi: More than 24 hours after the Bhalswa landfill site went up in flames in Outer North Delhi here, firefighters are still trying desperately to douse the fire as toxic plumes of smoke continue to spread all over the neighbourhood, pushing air pollution in the area up to hazardous levels. With over three dozen fire engines already deputed to the landfill site, officials said that about seven are still on site trying to control the fire.
Significantly, as temperatures rise and the weatherman predicts waves of extreme heat, it only follows that the number of fires will increase. And both fire officials and those within civic bodies have maintained that the extreme heat is very conducive to spontaneous fires at landfill sites - which are full of methane gas and plastic.
This summer itself, Ghazipur landfill has reported three fires and now Bhalswa has reported one. The three civic bodies have insisted the fires in each location were triggered by the heat. An MCD official explained that the fires in both landfills were triggered by the emission of methane, trapped in the landfill. They added that this situation often occurs during peak summers and is a huge problem that the MCD is currently working to resolve.
But despite claims of working to solve the problem, the civic bodies are neither able to figure out a way to stop the fires nor are they being able to find a faster way to clear the landfill sites - prompting sharp attacks from the opposition Aam Aadmi Party every time a fire incident is reported.
On Wednesday, North MCD Leader of the House Chhail Bihari Goswami said, "(These) Fires are caused by methane gas spots trapped under the surface of the landfills, we are working towards solutions to solve the problem and will come up with a step to step plan soon." North MCD officials are set to meet tomorrow to discuss the issue.
In fact, after the Ghazipur fires, the Delhi government too has started working on a solution for the fires — saying that it is open to adopting Mumbai's "gas-sucking method" to prevent such fires.
But as the Bhalswa fire continues to rage on, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee has been directed to submit a detailed report on the incident to Environment Minister Gopal Rai and the Aam Aadmi Party has upped the ante on its rhetoric — alleging that the corruption within the BJP-run MCDs was the reason a solution for this has evaded the civic bodies.
On Wednesday, the AAP went to blame the BJP's "criminal negligence" for the increasing fires and sought the registration of an FIR against the civic body administration for this alleged "negligence". Party leader Durgesh Pathak also pointed out that the Bhalswa fire was yet to be put out - as a result of which residents around the landfill are struggling to breathe. He added that residents in the Capital are now afraid that any small fire in a garbage dump may engulf their homes.
Meanwhile, as firefighters continue to douse the flames, SK Dua, a senior DFS official explained why landfill fires are more challenging to deal with. He said that the fire smoulders underneath the waste in some cases and it quickly flares up again and again.
"These garbage dumps have the highest amount of plastic, due to which this type of fire becomes more difficult to control; plastic also stops water from reaching where the fire is burning," he explained.
