Delhi: Another Year, Another Fire at Ghazipur Landfill; Gas Produced at Site May Be The Culprit

New Delhi: The massive fire that broke out at the Ghazipur landfill site in Delhi on Sunday, April 21, evening continued in the night and dense columns of smoke in the air were seen even on Monday morning, hours after a major fire broke out there. Delhi Fire Service (DFS) SO Naresh Kumar said that the fire was caused by the gas produced in the landfill.

Numerous residents living in close proximity to the landfill filed complaints of throat and respiratory irritation. Meanwhile, as per AAP candidate from East Delhi Lok Sabha Seat Kuldeep Kumar, the fire has been doused now. In the latest, Delhi Police files FIR against unknown persons in connection with fire incident.

What Led to Fire at Ghazipur Landfill Site ?

According to initial investigations, the fire seemed to have broken out due to the production of methane in the fresh garbage.

"On Sunday afternoon, there was a sudden rise in the temperature, and it appears that the methane being released from the garbage got in contact with the air and the fire broke out. We have asked our staff to be more vigilant, considering the temperature is going to rise in the coming days, and a major incident of fire can happen in case of any negligence," said an official.

The fire call was received on Sunday evening at 5.22 pm. Initially two fire engines were sent to the site, but later eight fire engines were pressed into service, said an official of the DFS.

Naresh Kumar said, "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."

Not The First Landfill Fire in Delhi

The Ghazipur landfill site witnessed three fire incidents in 2022, including one on March 28, which took over 50 hours to extinguish. Responding to these challenges, Delhi's Environment Minister Gopal Rai initiated a nine-point action plan in April 2022 aimed at averting similar incidents.

Despite subsequent measures announced in the summer action by the Delhi government, another major fire erupted at Ghazipur on June 12, 2023.

In 2019, the Ghazipur landfill was 65 meters high, coming close to the stature of the Qutub Minar by just eight meters. Efforts are underway to flatten the three landfills, with a revised target of 2026 set for Ghazipur. However, deadlines for the Okhla landfill (originally December 2023) and the Bhalswa site (initially March 2024) have already passed without completion.

Residents Complain of Foul Smell

A local resident said, "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."

Another resident said that life is difficult for those living here.

Another local resident said, "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 not being controlled? The government is just giving subsidies on electric vehicles but it is not working to reduce carbon emissions overall so that we can set an example for the world.

He said that there was no focus on cleanliness as claimed by the government. "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 added.