Fire at Delhi's Ghazipur landfill brought under control, say officials

A fire broke out at the Ghazipur landfill site in east Delhi on Monday but was brought under control within hours, officials said.

The fire was caused due to high temperature and methane generation at the site, they said.

A call about the incident was received around 1.30 pm, the Delhi Fire Service department said.

A total of 13 fire tenders were rushed to the spot along with a robotic machine to douse the blaze, a senior official of the department said.

"By evening, about 60-70 per cent of the fire was doused. It was not allowed to spread further," the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) said in a statement.

The fire had spread due to strong winds, a civic official said.

Delhi reeled under hot weather conditions on Monday with the maximum temperature settling at 41.2 degrees Celsius, a notch above the season's average, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Several excavators and four-five bulldozers working at the landfill site were also pressed into action to control the fire, the officials said.

"About 10-12 small flames in a confined area are still burning which will be controlled tonight. The flames have been caused due to the methane generation at site and high temperature," the MCD said.

The flames are being controlled by putting inert material on them. The staff of MCD, the concessionaire, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority and the Delhi Fire Service are making all efforts to fully douse the flames, civic officials said.

In March 2022, a massive fire had broken out at the dumping yard, leading to a huge cloud of smoke enveloping the region and neighbouring areas.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai last year launched a nine-point action plan to prevent incidents of fire at landfill sites. The plan involved construction of a peripheral road around the dumpsites to facilitate movement of vehicles, patrolling teams and fire tenders and a four-metre high boundary wall with barbed wire fencing to prevent unauthorised entry into the dumpsites.

Under the plan, the MCD has been directed to involve an agency for segregation of waste being dumped at the landfill sites to prevent unauthorised entry of ragpickers.

Perforated high-density polyethylene pipes will be installed to prevent the accumulation of the highly flammable gas and a dedicated surveillance squad will keep a strict vigil over the activities going on at the dumping sites.

According to experts, organic waste dumped in a landfill produces methane when it rots. In hot weather conditions, methane catches fire spontaneously and the blaze spreads as it feeds on combustible material like textiles and plastics, they said.