Firefighters at the Ghazipur landfill site where a fire broke out on Sunday, in New Delhi, Monday, April 22, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Toxic fumes from the Ghazipur landfill on Monday sent local residents gasping for breath and cursing politicians over the garbage mountain that still blights the city.
Thick plumes of smoke still rose skywards from Ghazipur landfill on Monday, hours after a major fire broke out there.
According to the Delhi Fire Service, the landfill witnessed a big fire Sunday evening due to the gases produced in the massive mountain of waste. The fire has been brought under control, Fire Service DG Atul Garg said.
A wall made of tin panels marking the boundary of the landfill also fell as a portion of garbage broke away. The several metres long wall was erected on the poultry market side.
"It's been 15 hours since the fire broke out. This smoke is not any common smoke, it is very poisonous. We are unable to keep our eyes open due to irritation and are breathing with difficulty," Ram Kumar from Gharoli village, close to the landfill, said.
Several residents told PTI Videos that due to smoke they were not able to send their children to the school.
They accused the MCD and the city government of not taking any action to give a better life to them.
"It's been 15 years. Ministers visit us only during elections. But after that not a single one returns to our door to know if we are facing any problem. This landfill is a curse for us. We are forced to suffer foul smells every day. And now this fire has caused several health problems for us. Why do they (ministers) want us to die?" Ilayas Khan said.
Rakesh Kumar, a heart patient, said he had to move to his relative's place because he could not bear the suffocation any longer.
"And this is not only my condition, several people are leaving their house due to the same reason," he said.
Bilkis, another resident, said the landfill still sits where it does because politicians never made good on their promises.
"Now they will be here again, showing their concern just to take votes. Nothing will happen," she said.
Mehfuz said when he purchased a house in the area around 20 years ago, the landfill wasn't this big.
"There was nothing such as this huge landfill now. Why is the government not able to find any proper solution? We are even unable to send our children to school due to smoke," he said.
The fire department got a call on Sunday at 5:22 pm about the fire and pressed 14 fire tenders to put out the blaze.