Bhalswa landfill fire: Gopal Rai asks Delhi pollution panel to submit report in 24 hours

As many as 10 fire tenders of the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) have been on the spot, trying to douse the flames since 5.45pm. A senior north MCD official said the corporation has deployed excavators to dump sand on the source of the fire.

Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday said he has asked the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to submit a report on the Bhalswa landfill fire, that broke out earlier in the day, within 24 hours. The incident marked the fourth such largescale fire in Delhi's landfill over the last month, with the other three taking place in Ghazipur.

Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai. (ANI/File)

“Have instructed DPCC to investigate all aspects of the fire at Bhalswa landfill and submit a report within 24 hours,” Rai's tweet, roughly translated from Hindi, read.

As many as 10 fire tenders of the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) have been on the spot, trying to douse the flames since 5.45pm. A senior north MCD official said the corporation has deployed excavators to dump sand on the source of the fire. Whether the incident occurred due to methane generation or some human activity is yet to be ascertained, the official added.

A massive fire was reported three times over the last month at the Ghazipur landfill site - March 28, April 10 and April 20. According to DFS data, there have been four fire incidents in Ghazipur so far this year, three in Bhalswa and two in Okhla.

Last week, Rai had said the Delhi government would study a system installed in Mumbai to capture Methane from rotting waste and replicate the same in the national capital to prevent such frequent fires in landfills.