Faced with breathing problems, locals demand permanent solution for Bhalswa landfill fires

New Delhi: Locals residing in the vicinity of the Bhalswa landfill yard in the national capital have been reporting breathing problems and have demanded a permanent solution to the frequent fires, which often rage for days at a stretch.

On Friday afternoon, the landfill again caught fire and the fire department, which received a call around 1:52 pm about the mishap rushed fire tenders and managed to bring the blaze under control by 8:20 pm, as per the fire department.

However, plumes of smoke continue to emanate from the landfill site.

Earlier in April, dense plumes of smoke kept billowing out from the site after a fire broke out on April 26 and firefighters battled to douse the flames for six consecutive days.

 "I have been living here for the last 20 years and have been seeing this from that time. No changes happened in this landfill. We are facing many problems like breathing and coughing. etc. We want a permanent solution for this," a local resident told ANI.

Another local said, "Houses are barely a kilometre away from the site. Our eyes hurt, it gets difficult to breathe and the heat rises too. Fire breaks out here every year from April to June. Diseases spread too. We want this landfill removed from here."

Dense plume of smokes were seen rising in the sky, exacerbating the already polluted air during the fire in April.
People living near the yard say that the smoke enters their rooms during the fires due to which they face several health issues.

"I have been here for the last 20 years. The Bhalswa dump area is very close to my house. When I open my window I can see the landfill. We are facing breathing problems due to this all people are getting sick. Diseases like malaria and dengue are spreading. At the time of the fire, the smoke hits the house," said Mausari, a local.

Before the fire incident, Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Thursday inspected the landfill site in north Delhi to assess the situation. He said a nine-point action plan was being chalked out to reduce such fires. (ANI)