New Delhi: A massive fire that broke out at Bhalswa landfill in Delhi continued to rage on for fifth day in a day on Saturday. Firefighters are still trying to douse a blaze at the Bhalswa landfill si
New Delhi: A massive fire that broke out at Bhalswa landfill in Delhi continued to rage on for fifth day in a day on Saturday. Firefighters are still trying to douse a blaze at the Bhalswa landfill site in north Delhi which broke out on April 26 evening. Several videos showed the blaze churning out dense plumes of smoke and turning the sky hazy grey.
Local residents said on Wednesday said the thick smoke was choking them. Meanwhile, a police complaint was filed by those residing near Bhalswa landfill site here against the North Delhi Municipal Corporation in connection with a fire raging at the dumping yard since the last five days.
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The residents filed the complaint at Bhalswa Dairy police station, demanding legal action against North Delhi Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh, Deputy Mayor Archana Dilip Singh and North MCD standing committee vice-chairman Vijay Kumar Bhagat.
In the complaint letter, the locals said the smoke emitting from the fire at the landfill site has been posing a risk to their lives. “The fire that has been raging since the last four days has been posing health risk for the residents in Bhalswa. Residents of Bhalswa are not being able to breathe. The smoke is causing major health problems, especially for the elderly and the children,” the complaint copy mentioned.
The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. An official had said rising temperatures lead to the formation of the extremely flammable methane gas at dumping yards.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Wednesday blamed “corruption” in the municipal corporation for the frequent fires at landfill sites in the city, saying the BJP-ruled civic bodies should have used bulldozers to clear the mountains of garbage.
Gyan Sarovar School, a child resource centre for children of ragpickers living near the Bhalswa landfill site, has been closed for a week as thick smoke enveloped the area. Three incidents of fire have been reported this year at east Delhi’s Ghazipur landfill site, including one on March 28 which was doused after over 50 hours.
