Bandhwari landfill site sees second fire within 10 days

Gurugram civic agencies were left red-faced as Bandhwari landfill witnessed a second fire within a span of 10 days. The blaze started today morning and filled the entire area with smoke and stench, when residents raised an alarm. It may be noted that while Diwali is still a week away, the AQI in the city has already started slipping to ‘poor’ category and even dips to ‘very poor’ at some hours. With unchecked waste burning becoming rampant, the frequency of fire incidents in the landfill garbage dump has worsened the situation.

“Every time there is a fire incident, an MCG official visits the place, announces strong measures and then everything falls flat within a week. We struggled with landfill fires in summers too. The MCG has failed to find the reason behind frequent fires and has failed to stop it, ” said environmentalist Vaishali Rana Chandra.

The residents of nearby Bandhwari village claimed that they were living in miserable conditions with an all-pervading stench, contaminated water and soil and frequent fires. “We are not rich like city people that everybody can afford an air purifier. Half of the village is suffering from sore eyes, throat and lungs issues because of this smoke,” said Harbir, former sarpanch of the village.

Five days back, a similar fire was reported from Bandhwari. Additional Commissioner Balpreet Singh had visited the spot and deployed staffers for the site’s round-the-clock surveillance. It was announced that staff members would work in three shifts of eight hours each to keep a vigil. It may be noted that a committee constituted by the NGT in Oct 2022 drafted a fire safety plan for the Bandhwari landfill site, which suggested installing methane gas detectors, monitoring the temperature at windrows with an infrared thermometer and spraying treated leachate water on the waste when temperatures rise. The plan is yet to see proper implementation.

Villagers inconvenienced

We are not rich like city people that everybody can afford an air purifier. Half of the village is suffering from sore eyes, throat and lungs issues because of this smoke. — Harbir, former Sarpanch