A fire at the Shahi Majra garbage dumping site in Mohali, which broke out on the night of October 1, continued to smoulder on Monday, with smoke spreading towards nearby residential areas and disrupting business at the adjoining market. Standing near the site for barely 10 minutes is difficult, said shopkeepers and residents nearby.
The blaze has persisted for nearly two weeks despite rainfall and repeated firefighting efforts. On Monday morning, some vendors arrived with their carts but left by the afternoon due to the smoke. Across the road, houses stand close to the site, while Phase 5 food outlets and market are also nearby.
Residents and traders said the ongoing fire had disrupted daily life, posing health risks near the Resource Management Centre (RMC).
“This is a very serious issue. There was no point in setting up a dumping yard in the green belt. Today or tomorrow, people will be affected, and they could develop chronic diseases because of this exposure,” said KK Saini, president of the residents’ welfare association (RWA).
Govind Mittal, chairman of the market committee, said the market holds its mandi every Monday and Friday, but the ongoing blaze has forced them to stop it. “The mandi takes place every Monday and Friday, but we had to stop it because safety comes first. We can continue only when the fire stops,” Mittal said.
“Stopping business activity in the mandi results in loss of our earnings. The authorities should clear the garbage and arrange a safe place for us to work, said Kamal, a vendor.
{{/usCountry}}“Stopping business activity in the mandi results in loss of our earnings. The authorities should clear the garbage and arrange a safe place for us to work, said Kamal, a vendor.
{{/usCountry}}12 fire engines fail to control blaze
Fire officer Shahbaz Bal said firefighters deployed 12 fire tenders on Sunday but could not extinguish the blaze. He said the garbage generates heat from within, making the fire difficult to control, and that removing the waste remained the only way to resolve the problem.
Unlike a fire confined to a building, a garbage fire can continue burning below the visible surface. Organic waste decomposes and generates heat, while gases and chemical processes inside a large pile can create conditions that sustain combustion. Even when firefighters douse the visible flames, waste underneath can continue to smolder and ignite again. This makes such fires difficult to extinguish with water alone, officials said.
The smoke poses a separate health risk. Municipal waste can contain plastic, rubber, paper, food waste and other materials. Burning them releases fine particles and gases, while incomplete combustion can produce harmful pollutants. Without air-quality readings, the precise pollutants and their concentrations around Shahi Majra remain unknown.
Monitoring situation: Mayor
Mayor Sarabjeet Samana said, “We are looking into the matter closely, and the person who allegedly ignited the fire has been apprehended. The vendors who brought their carts today will be able to return once the situation is brought under control.”
With the blaze continuing since October 1, residents and traders are seeking urgent action to clear the site and prevent the smoke from continuing to affect homes and businesses nearby. (With inputs from Shruti Tiwari)