Ujjain: Solid waste of the city dumped in the trenching ground in Gondiya village near Chintaman Jawasiya caught fire on Tuesday evening.
Speaking to Free Press, fire officer Ajaysingh Rajput said the fire spread across a 1 km area, and about 80 to 90 water lorries consisting of 4 to 5 lakh liters of water had been used. According to him it would take some more time to extinguish the fire completely.
He said the trenching ground where solid waste of the city was dumped was surrounded by a cemented wall and the only reason by which dumped garbage caught fire looked like the ‘ farm-narwai’ in which farmers burnt left over dry stems after reaping crops. Fire fighter and fire brigades from Barnagar, Tarana and Unhel civic bodies were called in to control the fire, apart from Ujjain civic body.
According to reliable sources, water from Gaughat plant and Chitaman hydrant was being used to put off the fire. The trenching ground is managed by the Ujjain solid waste management company (Indore). Ujjain Municipal Corporation had allotted the contract for 25 years to the company. A UMC official said despite repeated caution, the company did not arrange for fire extinguishers in the trenching ground.