Delhi: Fire continues at Ghazipur landfill site, efforts to douse fire underway
Apr 21, 2024
New Delhi [India], April 22 : A major fire that broke out at the Ghazipur landfill site in the National Capital on Sunday evening continues to rage on and efforts are underway to douse it, officials said.
One of the residents complained of breathing issues and alleged of administration's negligence for the massive fire, adding that smoke billowing out of the fire can have serious implications for the elderly people.
"I am having breathing issues. The administration is negligent...The smoke will have serious implications for the elderly," Sumit told ANI.
Another resident said, "The first and 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."
Another resident questioned why the fire started was not being controlled and complained that everyone focuses on the elections but none pays attention to daily issues of pollution and cleanliness.
"For those living here, life is difficult. It smells so bad that it is difficult to stand here. On one hand, the government says they are reducing pollution, but on the other, we can imagine the carbon emissions due to this fire. Why has this fire started, and why is it not being controlled?... The government is just giving subsidies to electric vehicles, but it is not working to reduce carbon emissions overall so that we can set an example for the world. Everyone is just focused on elections, no one is paying attention to these daily issues that we face. There is no focus on cleanliness, you can see it here," he said.
Delhi Fire Service SO Naresh Kumar said there were no reports of any casualties.
"We received a call around 6 pm that the Ghazipur landfill had caught fire. 10 fire tenders are at work here, four 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 dousing the fire due to heat. The fire is caused by gas that is produced in the landfill... There has been no casualty," he said.
More details are awaited.
