A fire department official disclosed that 14 fire tenders have been dispatched to extinguish the blaze at the Ghazipur landfill, indicating that the fire originated from the gases produced within the landfill. The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) received the call regarding the inferno at 5:22 p.m. on Sunday.
The smoke emanating from the landfill caused throat and respiratory irritation among numerous families living nearby. "Our teams are actively working to contain the flames," stated a DFS official.
Notably, addressing the landfill issue was among the pledges made by AAP during the 2019 state assembly elections. However, the situation has sparked a political blame game, especially with the civic body polls approaching.
The Delhi BJP, currently out of power in the Municipal Corporation Department (MCD), swiftly criticized the AAP administration for failing to fulfill its commitment to address the landfill problem. Delhi BJP Spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor expressed dismay over the negligence of the Kejriwal-led Municipal Corporation of Delhi, stating that a fire at the Ghazipur landfill site and the ensuing heavy smoke are shameful outcomes. Kapoor highlighted Kejriwal's promise to clean up the landfill site by December 31, 2023, before the 2022 Delhi Municipal Corporation elections. However, instead of removing old heaps, a new heap has formed, Kapoor remarked.
Social activist and lawyer Vineet Jindal voiced concerns about the situation, stating that the citizens of Delhi are enduring the adverse effects of the smoke, attributing the failure to the Delhi Government and MCD. Jindal expressed hope for intervention from @PMOIndia and @LtGovDelhi.
In 2021, municipal authorities revealed that the city collectively generates approximately 11,400 metric tonnes of waste, with nearly 6,200 metric tonnes being deposited across three landfills: Ghazipur, Okhla, and Bhalswa. According to data submitted by MCD to the state Environment Department in January this year, the frequency of fires at Delhi's three major waste disposal sites has notably decreased over the past five years. The data indicates a decline from 159 fire incidents in 2017 to only one in 2023, with significant reductions in the intervening years.
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