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Dadumajra dumping ground fire brought under control
While the fire, which broke out around 1.30 am on Wednesday was put out by Friday morning, smoke is still rising from parts of the site
Over 50 hours after a major fire broke out at the Dadumajra dumping ground around 1.30 am on Wednesday, it was finally brought under control on Friday morning.
While the fire has been put out, smoke is still rising from parts of the site. Surjit Singh, fire officer at the Sector 38 station, said, “We were able to bring the fire under control by Friday morning. Three fire tenders and one water bowser remained active at the dump during the day and were replaced as needed.”
Chief fire officer Rohit Gupta said, “The visible fire was put on the intervening night between Thursday and Friday. The methane in the huge mound of garbage kept the fire burning for so long. A detailed report regarding the fire will be prepared. In the meantime, fire tenders will be present at the spot until the smoke also stops.”
Meanwhile, residents of nearby sectors said foul smell continued to linger on Friday. President of the Sector 38 (West) Residents Welfare Association, Pankaj Gupta said, “Black smoke with a strong odour continued to hassle us on Friday. Residents are complaining of breathing problems and soot has caused black stains on the buildings. The authorities must shift the garbage dump away from the residential area and anyone caught deliberately setting these fires must be punished.”
MC floats tender for legacy waste removal
The municipal corporation (MC) has floated a tender for the removal of 7.5 lakh million tonnes (MT) of legacy waste dumped at the Dadumajra landfill after 2005.
The ₹68-crore project, being partially funded by the central government under the Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0, will have a 36-month deadline once allotted. Of the ₹28.02 crore being contributed by the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs, ₹11.36 crore have already been released.
A total of 12.5 lakh MT legacy waste is to be cleared from the 25-acre Dadumajra landfill where all of the city’s unprocessed daily waste is directed.
Of this, 5 lakh MT from before 2005 is being bio-mined under a Smart City project, which is expected to be completed by December. The ₹68-crore project under the Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 will target the remaining 7.5 lakh MT legacy waste dumped at the 25-acre site after 2005.
