When it’s not stinking, it’s burning
The Ghazipur disaster was waiting to happen, say experts. If today it was Ghazipur, tomorrow it could be Bhalswa or Okhla, they have warned.
“Fire erupts almost daily when it is dry due to a constant build up of methane. It is only when a major accident happens and lives are lost that it grabs our attention. There could be re-run of such disasters in the other dumping sites as well, unless some actions are taken immediately,” said Chitra Mukherjee head of programs of Chitan.
A four-member committee formed by the government in 2016 to look into frequent fire accidents at Bhalswa and Ghazipur sites had reported gross deficiencies, including no fire tenders stationed near landfills.
The National Green Tribunal had even rapped the Delhi government in July this year over the lack of proper infrastructure to deal with garbage at dumping sites.
Delhi generates around 10,000 tonnes of garbage every day which is sent directly to the dumping sites despite the fact that three out of the four landfill sites have reached a saturation point more than a decade ago.
Last year, Delhi’s largest landfill — Bhalswa, in northwest Delhi, was on fire for a week. Except at Ghazipur landfill, no measures have been taken to capture the methane gas emitted by the decomposing waste at other such sites.
“Any dumping site has a specific longevity. But all these dumping sites have long crossed their age. The issue have been raised several times but little has been done on the ground,” said Swati Sambyal program manager (waste) at Centre for Science and Environment.
Experts also pointed out that in all the sites, the height of the garbage heap has touched nearly 50 metres, against the permissible height of 20 metres. In 2016, the Supreme Court had compared the height of garbage dumps with that of Qutab Minar.
“The heavy rains in Delhi might have triggered this disaster but it was just waiting to happen. In cities like Delhi such sites are hazardous and toxic hotspots,”said Ravi Agarwal director of Toxic Link
Experts said the dumping sites have become unstable. Some elements in the waste such as plastic make them more vulnerable to slides.