A major fire broke out on Wednesday morning at a dumping site in Dadu Majra, near Chandigarh’s Sector 38 (West). It was not brought under control until 12 hours later, blanketing the entire area in thick black smoke. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
A large number of people reported difficulty breathing, pain in the throat and eyes, as well as an offensive odour in Dadu Majra and Sector 38 (West), Sector 25 and Dhanas colony, respectively.
A total of four fire tenders were on the scene when publishing this report, working to extinguish the blaze. Sector 38’s station fire officer, Surjit Singh, said that “the endeavour to control the fire is presently underway.” Waste materials, including plastic, are engulfed in flames that have extended to the lower piles of rubbish, explaining why it takes so long to extinguish the blaze.”
In his assertion, police officers on patrol phoned the fire station at around 1:40 a.m. to report a fire had broken out at the old dumping site. Firefighters were sent to the location as soon as possible. Still, the flames are spreading due to the flammable methane gas being released by the garbage at a high temperature, according to the official.
Father Kuldeep Dhalor, a councillor from Dadu Majra, said that the fire had been intentionally caused by miscreants. Given that it started around 1.30 a.m. when heat could not have played a part, it seems to have been the work of a single person. According to him, “the fire department and the municipal corporation are collaborating to extinguish the blaze.”
He said that the smoke was finding its way into residential areas, causing health problems for the people who lived there. Several people have reported irritation in the throat, burning sensation in the eyes, and an unpleasant smell. This hazardous gas is being forced onto them,” he remarked, adding that he has brought the matter to the attention of the mayor and recommended that the dump be moved or that the trash disposal operation be resumed in its entirety.
People in Sector 38 (West) and the surrounding areas, particularly the elderly, have complained of feeling suffocated and having difficulty breathing.” The university administration and the local corporation took no action despite the fact that four fires were recorded in the previous year.
They don’t even attempt to take a serious look at the problem or try to find out what started the fire. “They must give heed to the residents’ long-standing demand that the dumping site is moved away from the centre of Chandigarh’s densely populated neighbourhoods,” says Pankaj Gupta, head of the Residents Welfare Association 38-West.
In April of last year, a big fire broke out at the dumping site, and the flames blazed for around two days until being put out by the fire department. In addition, the Chandigarh Contamination Control Committee has demanded a report from the municipal corporation describing the reasons for the alleged pollution, which the municipal corporation has provided.
