Locals, cops face health issues near Deonar fire site

Even as cooling operations continue at the Deonar dumping ground in suburban Mumbai where a fire occurred over a week back, the residents in the area and policemen deployed at the site are facing health issues due to the smoke still emanating out of the dump.
Hasan Sayyed, a 32-year-old resident of Deonar, today said they are facing health problems due to the smoke, but children are affected the most as there have been complaints from them of irritation and redness of eyes.
According to a police official, the security personnel deployed near the dumping ground were also experiencing irritation in eyes and throat.

The official also said that there has been no serious health issue and no one has been admitted to hospital.
Meanwhile, cooling operations were on at the dumping ground. Seven fire engines, six water tankers and an ambulance are currently on the spot, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's disaster control department officials said.
The fire has been completely brought under control, they added.

A senior official from Shivaji Nagar police station said no arrest or detention has been made so far in connection with the FIR lodged against unknown persons eight days back in the fire incident.
The personnel from Shivaji Nagar police station have been deployed outside the Deonar dumping ground, he said, adding that only people staying in the vicinity are allowed to move in the area and no outsiders are permitted.

In this regard, special passes have been given to the residents staying near the dumping ground so that outsiders do not venture near it, he said.
Fire had occurred in the Deonar dumping ground on March 19 emitting toxic gases, leading to smog in areas adjacent to it and raising health concerns for people living in the vicinity.
Later, a large number of residents had also protested at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, demanding an immediate solution to the problem.
Besides, a six-month old boy had died on Tuesday in a locality near the Deonar dumping ground, with the parents saying the baby died of suffocation due to toxic gases emitted from the blaze, a charge refuted by civic officials.