Ghazipur landfill blaze sparks political furore, fire-fighting operation continues

New Delhi, April 22 (IANS) A total of 14 fire tenders have been sent to douse the flames at the Ghazipur landfill, said a fire department official on Monday, adding that the fire originated from the gases generated within the landfill.

Delhi Fire Service (DFS) said that the call regarding the blaze was received at 5:22 p.m. on Sunday.

The smoke emanating from the landfill led to throat and respiratory irritation for numerous families residing in close proximity to the site.

“Our teams are working to douse the flames,” said a DFS official.

It is worth noting that addressing the issue of these landfills was one of the pledges made by AAP during the 2019 state assembly elections.

Meanwhile, a political blame game too has been ignited, especially with the civic body polls around the corner.

The Delhi BJP, out of power in the Municipal Corporation Department (MCD), swiftly criticised the AAP administration leading the civic body for failing to fulfil its commitment to address the landfill issue.

Delhi BJP Spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said it is shameful that due to the corrupt negligence of the Kejriwal-led Municipal Corporation of Delhi, a fire broke out at the Ghazipur landfill site and heavy smoke rose.

“Kejriwal had promised to clean up this landfill site by December 31, 2023, before the 2022 elections of the Delhi Municipal Corporation, but today, instead of removing old heaps from the landfill site, a new heap has been formed there,” he said.

“As a citizen of Delhi, I am saying that we, the citizens of Delhi, have been left to die slowly in this kind of smoke. Delhi Government and MCD have failed. Now we only hope that @PMOIndia @LtGovDelhi will do something,” said social activist and lawyer Vineet Jindal on X.

In 2021, municipal authorities disclosed that the city collectively produces approximately 11,400 metric tonnes of waste, with almost 6,200 metric tonnes being deposited across three landfills: Ghazipur, Okhla, and Bhalswa.

As per the data submitted by MCD to the state Environment Department in January this year, the frequency of fires at Delhi's three major waste disposal sites has significantly decreased over the past five years.

According to the data, there were 159 fire incidents recorded at the three landfill sites in 2017, which decreased to 120 in 2018, 48 in 2019, eight each in 2020 and 2021, five in 2022, and only one in 2023.