Three days on, Ghazipur site still smouldering

NEW DELHI: Three days after a fire broke out at the Ghazipur landfill site, smoke billowing from the site shows no signs of stopping.

With Diwali knocking at its door, the Capital has already reported poor air quality. But toxic smoke generation at the landfill is going on unmonitored by civic agencies. The place is abandoned, without any fire brigade assigned to the spot.

The 45-m high landfill was shut down following an order by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, in the wake of the collapse incident in September, which claimed two lives. The fire broke out on Saturday evening, with fire officials saying it was caused due to methane deposits accumulated a few days ago. Five fire tenders were pressed into service to control the blaze, which was extinguished after over seven hours.

At the time of the fire, no monitoring by civic agencies was taking place at the site. East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) authorities said that they are working on the fire issue and the smoke emission would also come under control. "Fires at landfill sites are nothing new, but we have controlled the fire at an urgent basis. We did not have the report on smoke emission but if it is there then we will stop it," said EDMC official.

The Capital's air quality is decreasing at an alarming rate, even as the government has banned open burning of garbage and waste.