Massive fire at the Ghazipur landfill continued to rage on Monday as hours of dousing efforts went in vain. The fire was reported on Sunday following which the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) sent fire trucks to the site.
Authorities say that the fire was first spotted around 5 pm drifting toward the middle region of the landfill facing the paper market and the drain running past it. The last fire reported in the area was in 2023.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the agency that oversees the jurisdiction of the landfill, said that the fire department was dispatched immediately after the first blaze was reported.
“We sent two fire tenders [at first] but then received a call saying the blaze was at a higher point on the landfill surrounded by uneven terrain which made the task difficult. There was also some operational issue since a majority of the staff was deployed to douse the Janpath fire,” a DFS official said on Sunday.
While no casualties have been reported, residents living around the area have complained of health issues including breathing problems.
The Ghazipur landfill is one of the three dumpsites of the national capital, while the other two are located in Okhla and Bhalswa.
Spanning over an area of 72 acres, the Ghazipur landfill is one of the oldest dumpsites in the city that was commissioned in 1984.
What led to the fire?
Delhi Fire Service SO Naresh Kumar said that the fire was caused by the gas produced in the landfill.
“We received a call around 6 pm that the Ghazipur landfill has caught fire. 10 fire brigades are at work here, four out of which are on the upper side of the mountain, and the bowsers are stationed at the bottom. JCBs are being quite helpful as there is trouble in dousing the fire due to heat. The fire is caused due to gas that is produced in the landfill. There has been no casualty,” Kumar said.
Residents complain
Being so close to the residential area, the fire at Ghazipur landfill has affected the common man.
“The fire caused a lot of problems here. The elderly citizens are facing problems in commuting due to the breathing issue… This problem is not being resolved. The biggest problem we are facing is in breathing,” a local commuter said.
A schoolgirl living nearby said, “We were having irritation in the throat and we were coughing due to smoke. This fire caused pollution. Everyone is suffering from this.”
Meanwhile, many residents say that the Ghazipur landfill has wreaked havoc in their lives for a long time while the government has turned a deaf ear to their calls.
“The first and the biggest issue around the landfill site is the foul smell. Pollution has made life difficult in the area for the last 10 years. People have complained against it many times but the government does not take adequate action,” a local man said.
Politics over fire
The central government, meanwhile, has been blaming the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over its failure to put out the fire.
“Delhi may not have become ‘London’ but the repeated fires on the garbage mountains seem to be enough to turn the capital into ashes. This horrifying clip of the fire in Ghazipur landfill is heart-wrenching. Now AAP is in MCD. Who will you hold responsible for this?” asked BJP Delhi in a post on X.
AAP leader Sanjay Singh said, “All the MCD officials are working on it. The Fire Department has also been working. The fire will be brought under control soon…”
Delhi BJP Chief Virendraa Sachdeva visited the affected region to inspect dousing efforts on Monday morning.
“Life of the people in adjacent areas, in Mayur Vihar and Kondli, has become hell. I too live in Mayur Vihar, I understand this. When Municipal elections were being held, AAP and Arvind Kejriwal had announced that they would remove this landfill by December 2023…The game of corruption is being played here. The cause of the fire should be investigated…The causes are natural, there is corruption behind this,” he said.
“It should be investigated and action should be taken against the guilty. AAP chief and the party are on dialysis. 25 machines should have been deployed here but half of the machines are not working. Who is responsible? Will Arvind Kejriwal take responsibility? Tender is not being renewed,” he added.
Addressing a press conference on Monday, Delhi’s Water Minister Atishis said, “The fire tenders of Delhi Fire Service were present at the spot throughout the night. The fire has been controlled. We hope that the smoke will also fade away in some time. The Delhi Deputy Mayor visited the spot yesterday evening. The Delhi Mayor is going to visit the spot today. We will investigate how and by which process this fire broke out.”
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