On Sunday, around 16:00 IST, a section of the 70-acre Ghazipur landfill went up in flames. It gave out a cloud of smoke and toxic fumes into the air with residents of the nearby areas complaining of suffocation and burning sensation in the eyes.
The fire raged for five hours before it was extinguished. In fact, ten fire tenders were pressed into services and the blaze was doused by 21:00 IST.
As per the officials of East Delhi Municipal Corporation, the fire was spread over an area of 250-300 meters. The portion that caught fire is situated “south side” of the landfill, which runs parallel to the Hindon Canal.
Officials are associating the fire with steep rise in temperatures. On Saturday, Delhi had recorded maximum temperature of 39.2˚C, which was the highest temperature for the month of March this year.
Normally, the Biodegradation in anaerobic conditions which is cut off from oxygen and lies deep inside the garbage mountain, causes buildup of methane. Since its ignition temperature is 50˚C only, when it finds a vent and emerges out, it ignites.
Often, a casually thrown stub of beedi, cigarette or a lit matchstick also triggers fire at the landfill.
In the last many years several such incidents have taken place. In October 2017, a fire raged in the 70-metre-high landfill for seven hours before being extinguished. Another fire was reported in March 2018.
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