Dump yard blaze rages on near Mumbai, locals take to streets

A group of 50 residents took to the streets and staged a Rasta Roko after the Adharwadi dumping yard caught fire again on Sunday evening.

The protest disrupted traffic around 8pm at Lal chowky in Kalyan (West). Residents demanded relief from the smoke covering the entire area near the dump yard.

“The civic body has failed to look after our health,” said Sushant Rane, 30, a resident of Wadeghar, Kalyan (West).

Adharwadi dumping ground in Kalyan again caught fire on Sunday evening, after fire officials had managed to douse Saturday night’s fire.

“The dump yard caught fire in the evening due to strong winds,” said a fire officer of the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC).

This is the third time that the dump yard has caught fire this week. After the fire broke out for the first time on Tuesday, the civic body had asked the fire department to keep a watch at the dump yard and take necessary measures in case of untoward incidents.Throughout the day, on Sunday, thick smoke filled the air and spread 2 to 3kms away from the dumping yard.

“Fire broke out several times throughout the day. But we managed to control it. Our team has been continuously watering the dump yard to control the heat,” said Sudhakar Kulkarni, fire officer, KDMC.

The 6 acre dump yard used by the civic body to dump around 650 metric tonnes of waste caught fire on Saturday evening, which led to thick smoke in the air, throughout the night.

Though fire officials suspect that the cause of the fire is due to the heat in the atmosphere, the civic body chief P Velarasu has asked the fire department to conduct a detailed study.