New Delhi: After over 36 hours and at least 45 tenders, the fire engulfing East Delhi’s Ghazipur landfill was finally brought under control by Tuesday morning. Fire engines will be on standby for another 12 hours to ensure that the landfill does not reignite, said officials from the Delhi Fire Services (DFS).
Such fires are not a new sight for the neighbourhood. Every year at least one fire is reported from Delhi dump sites, according to data maintained by the municipal corporation. It points to a larger malaise—of poor governance and lack of planning—that’s plaguing Delhi’s waste management infrastructure.
The lack of a concrete plan to manage the national capital’s waste is adding fuel to such annual fires.
“The Ghazipur landfill site is a monument of shame for Delhi,” said Vimlendu Jha, a Delhi-based environmentalist. “Over the last many years, we have been seeing several dozen fires that have been reported from the landfill. It is a major health hazard for the city. The (central and Delhi) governments will have to come together to bring out a long-term plan to tackle legacy waste.”
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has until December 2024 to flatten the Ghazipur landfill—Delhi’s largest and oldest dumping ground. Two other dumping grounds, Okhla and Bhalswa, are slated to be cleared by May 2024.
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How the fire was controlled
The fire was reported around 5 pm Sunday, and finally brought under control around 10 am on Tuesday.
“We had put maximum strength of our tenders and firemen to control this fire. Officials were working in shifts to control it,” said Yashwant Singh Meena, assistant divisional officer, Delhi Fire Services.
Just water is not enough to control such fires, he added. “We were also dumping dry mud on the landfill to douse the flames. We will be keeping a few tenders on standby here for another 12 hours, because such fires tend to reignite. The bottom of the pile remains active,” he said, referring to remaining embers in the lower layers of the garbage mountain and the underlying decomposition and methane that fuels flames.
Information shared from the control room of the fire department showed that at least 45 tenders were used for the operation, spanning Sunday evening to Tuesday morning.
“Reaching the location of the fire itself is a challenging task when we are dealing with landfill fires. The methane that is released from the rotting garbage is also very volatile. It is also difficult to assess the depth of the fire because you can control it from the surface but it would keep simmering in the bottom,” a senior DFS officer explained.
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Recurring nightmare
Residents of Ghazipur Dairy, a locality situated right at the foot of the landfill, said that such fires are a frequent occurrence. Especially during summer, the expansive Ghazipur landfill, which holds around 8.4 million tonnes of waste, transforms into a raging inferno, spewing thick smoke across the area.
“The landfill fires have become a big problem. When a portion catches fire, it takes minutes for it to spread. Imagine having to live and go about your daily business while inhaling deadly smoke,” said Mohammad Raqib, who owns a dairy in the neighbourhood, describing difficulties breathing and watery eyes. “The fire officers cordon off parts of the neighbourhood that are closer to the landfill but you cannot stop the smoke from travelling. It reaches you if you live so close.”
Meanwhile, the fire has become another reason for the BJP and Aam Aadmi Party to lock horns. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva blamed the AAP-run municipal corporation for its incompetence. He said that the AAP had promised to clear the landfill by December 2023, but the landfill is growing in size.
“This is proof of AAP’s corruption,” he said while addressing the media during his visit to the fire site Monday.
AAP has called for a detailed inquiry to ascertain the cause of the conflagration.
On Monday, Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai sought a detailed report on the Ghazipur landfill fire. The minister asked authorities to report the cause of the fire. He also asked for an action plan to prevent such incidents in the future.
(Edited by Asavari Singh)