KALYAN: Three days after a major fire broke out at the Adharwadi dumping ground here, firemen were still fighting to control the
blaze on Tuesday and said it would take 24 hours more to gain the upper hand on it. Locals said the continuous exposure to the smoke from the
dump was causing them breathing and other problems.
The fire brigade formed five separate teams to control the blaze from different locations and to stop it from spreading. Fire brigade officials said that the wind kept the fire going.
The fire began on Saturday at Kalyan’s biggest dumping yard, the six-acre Adharwadi ground, which had crossed its expiry date eight years ago. Citing health issues, residents have been demanding the shifting of the dumping ground for many years now.
To control fire, the fire officials began supplementing their water supply by sourcing it directly from the nearby creek.
“All efforts are under way on our part to control the fire and it may take another 24 hours to do so,” chief fire officer Dilip Gund said.
Officials of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) said they were monitoring the situation.
“There is a rise in pollution levels in
Kalyan (west) region. To determine the exact pollution level, we are waiting for the report on samples from the MPCB laboratory in Mahape. Wer expect the report to come on Wednesday,” an MPCB official said.
Jignesh Shah, a resident of Tilak Chowk, said many people had fallen ill because of the pollution from the dumping yard but the Kalyan-Dombivli municipal Corporation was turning a blind eye to the problem.
“For the last five to six years, we get a foul smell from the dump in the evening and we have to close our doors and windows,” he said.
