Bhalswa Landfill Site Is 4th Such Fire Of Season

 

NEW DELHI: Fires at the landfill sites continued to engulf the national capital as a massive fire broke out at the Bhalswa landfill site in north Delhi on Tuesday evening. Thick fumes from the fire shrouded the neighbouring areas affecting people living in Libaspur, Swaroop Nagar and Jahangirpuri.

Delhi Fire Services said they got a call about the blaze at around 5.47 pm on Tuesday following which 10 fire tenders were rushed to the spot. Later on, three more fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the fire.

This was the fourth major incident of fire at a landfill site in Delhi in April. Delhi’s Ghazipur landfill site had reported three fire incidents in the past month. The frequency of landfill fires has increased with the rise in temperature. The first major incident was reported at Ghazipur on March 28 which was followed by two more incidents of fire at the site on April 10 and April 20.

“The cause of the fire hasn’t been confirmed but usually such fires are self-ignited because the waste material is combustible especially when the weather is dry and very hot,” Atul Garg, director of Delhi Fire Service said.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai has asked the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to submit a report on the fire at the Bhalswa landfill within 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) lashed out at the BJP, which controls all the three civic bodies in Delhi, and said the fire at the Bhalswa landfill will “burn and finish” the saffron party.

“Fire breaks out again at Bhalswa landfill site. The fire is spreading to the nearby colonies, due to which the people there are finding it difficult to breathe,” senior AAP leader Durgesh Pathak tweeted.

“This Lanka of BJP’s corruption is burning. In this (fire) both the BJP’s arrogance and corruption will burn and finish the BJP,” he added.