Dumping ground woes: Mulund facing danger of becoming Deonar?

MUMBAI: Will t he dumping ground at Mulund, Mumbai’s second- largest, go the Deonar way?

For nearly five decades now, untreated garbage is being dumped at the Mulund landfill, just like at Deonar. There is no system to collect methane — the gas that has been stoking several fires at Deonar. The civic body has not done a survey of the dumpyard, its internal roads and the space available; there is no estimate of the total garbage dumped at the Mulund facility either. And, like Deonar, garbage at Mulund piles up as high as 28 meters in some spots.

These factors point to a situation alarmingly similar to that of Deonar’s, which is witnessing fires for the sixth day in a row. The smoke has engulfed nearby areas, endangering the health of its residents.

A fire was also reported in the Mulund landfill on Sunday, which t he Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) brushed off as a minor one and insisted it was swiftly brought under control.

CONTINUED ON P11

RELATED REPORT, P2