Kalyan fire will be doused by Wednesday: KDMC

As pollution spreads, civic body says it will take two more days to control fire

Three days after a major fire broke out at Adharwadi dumping ground in Kalyan, firemen are still fighting to control the blaze.

Smoke engulfs the area around Adharwadi dumping ground in Kalyan on Monday (Rishikesh Choudhary/ ht)

The Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) has formed three teams to douse the fire, which has engulfed three sides of the dumping ground.

“Teams have been formed to tackle the fire from three sides of the dump yard. It will take at least two more days to control the fire,” said P Velarasu, commissioner, KDMC.

After the fire broke out at the 6-acre dump yard on Saturday, the civic body had brought in private tankers to supply water to douse the flames. But it was inadequate.

The KDMC is now taking water directly from the Kalyan creek, which is next to the dumping ground in Kalyan (West).

“We are taking water directly from the creek to douse the fire. We are making an access road for the fire tenders to reach the dumping ground through Sathe Nagar,” added Velarasu.

On Monday, smoke continued to billow from the dump yard.

Saturday’s fire was the second incident in one week. On March 6, a minor fire broke out at the dumping ground.

Corporators from the Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) gathered outside the KDMC commissioner’s cabin, protesting the apathy of the civic body in shutting the saturated dump yard. As the commissioner was not present, the corporators pasted his photo on the locked door and put a garland of bangles on it.

The Congress workers staged a protest at the dumping ground by stopping garbage vehicles from going in.

Residents protested on Sunday, complaining of breathlessness.

“There is a school, a hospital and many residential buildings near the dump yard which have cropped up in the past 10 years. How can the civic body allow construction near the dump yard?” said Maya Shetty, 35, a resident of Adharwadi.