Ghazipur on fire for over 24 hours, firefighters unable to reach heights

New Delhi: As the massive fire at the Ghazipur landfill site here continued to burn even 24 hours after it was reported, the smell of charred garbage and a dense cloud formation of noxious fumes enveloped the nearby areas with locals already complaining as the fire department struggled to douse the flames — some of which was out of reach for them.

Anwar, who lives in a shanty near the landfill site said, "We have been feeling the heat since yesterday. My children can't stay in the house with all the suffocating fumes blowing toward us. They've been roaming in the streets to avoid this."

The blaze was reported on Monday afternoon and since then, the Delhi Fire Services have deployed a total of 96 personnel and 24 fire engines and the fire is yet to be doused completely.

"The heaps of garbage which are as tall as the Qutub Minar are the most difficult to reach as the water from our hose pipes cannot reach that high and the water sprayed eventually comes down. Such three-four pockets still continue to burn but we are sure to souse it soon as well and start the cooling process immediately", a firefighter said.

The Ghazipur dump yard is now covered by a thick toxic cloud that can cause suffocation, breathing difficulty and itchy eyes that can even affect people living 2 kilometers away in IP Extension.

Meanwhile, even as the Aam Aadmi Party trained its guns on the BJP-run East MCD for the blaze, municipal officials have said that they have also pressed into service as many resources as possible to do damage control. Nine excavators, 2 bulldozers, 5 jetting machines are currently deployed at the site to help out fire officials, they said.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police said that they had registered an FIR in the matter against unknown people. "An FIR has been registered under sections 278 (making atmosphere noxious to health), 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter) and 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code against unknown people," Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Priyanka Kashyap said.

According to data shared by the fire department, a total of four such incidents at landfill sites — two each at Bhalswa and Tughlakabad — took place till Sunday this year.

In 2020, a total of 15 such incidents were reported while 37 were reported in 2019, the data stated.

East Delhi Municipal Corporation's (EDMC) standing committee chairman Beer Singh Panwar had said on Monday that the fire was caused due to "high temperature" as plastic is one of the major components of the legacy waste and methane keeps getting generated.

Significantly, while the AAP blamed the MCD for not being able to clear the site, officials claimed it was the DDA's fault because it was sitting on a request for more land to clear the waste and reduce its height.

(With inputs from Satvika Mahajan and Naresh Biswani)