The massive blaze that erupted at Delhi's Bhalswa landfill site on Tuesday, continues to ignite. Fire tenders were present at the spot on Thursday, as efforts to douse the flames continued. According to Delhi Fire Service officials, smoke was reported around 5:00 pm that later spread into a massive fire.
Following the incident, locals living near the Bhalswa landfill in Delhi have also been reporting breathing problems.
"The residents have started complaining of sore throat, itchy eyes and breathing problems. Currently, eight fire tenders are working on the site. It will take at least two more days to douse the fire. Our teams are working round-the-clock to put it out," a fire officer said.
The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
However, another official said rising temperature leads to the formation of methane gas at the dump yard sites and this is "extremely flammable".
Political blame-game over Bhalswa landfill fire
Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Wednesday blamed "corruption" in the Municipal Corporation for the frequent fires at landfills in the city, saying the BJP-ruled municipal corporations should have used bulldozers to clear the mountains of garbage.
Meanwhile, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai accused the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) of negligence over the Bhalswa landfill fire.
The minister informed that the Delhi government has sought a report from Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) over the fire incident.
"The people of Delhi are facing landfill fire due to MCD's negligence and 15 years of BJP's corruption. We ordered Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) on Tuesday to inquire and submit the report within 24 hours. We will make a decision on this matter after his report comes," Rai said.
Further hitting out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the minister said, "If they had worked on this, these garbage mountains would not have been here."
He said the BJP people should first go to the Bhalswa landfill and survey what they have done in the last 15 years.
"If they had driven bulldozers there for 15 years, these mountains of garbage would not have stood today."
(With inputs from PTI)
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