Firemen try to douse the fire at Dadumajra dumping ground on Wednesday. (Express photo by Jasbir Malhi) With as many as 486 incidents of fire being recorded between 2005 and now at the Dadumjra dumping ground, the Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee and Municipal Corporation have remained mute spectators as locals residents have continued to suffer.
Apart from the harmful impact caused by the fire – both environmentally and to the physical health of the locals, data collected between 2016 and 2021 shows that about 40 lakh litres of water were used in dousing the flames.
According to the details provided by the department, about five lakh litres of water were used in 2016, 6.3 lakh litres in 2017, about 2.5 lakh litres in 2018, 1.25 lakh litres in 2019, 8 lakh litres in 2020 and exactly 18.25 lakh litres in 2021.
When asked, the Vice-Chairperson of the Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee Debendra Dalai said, “The Municipal Corporation is supposed to intimate us about the incident and then we reply to it. We have conveyed to them several times to remain watchful.”
When Commissioner Municipal Corporation Anindita Mitra was asked about the measures that have been taken by the civic body in the past to avert such incidents, she said, “We have been keeping an eye on who enters the dumping ground and we have stationed a fire brigade round the clock as well. The actual solution is bioremediation of the legacy waste there for which RFP shall be floated by April 8.”
No accountability of officials
Although there have been many incidents of fire breaking out at the dumping ground, none of the authorities is willing to take accountability or take a step to tackle the issue. The CPCC and MC keep writing to each other as a routine formality while nothing substantial is done on the ground.
When a similar fire was reported in February last year, the CPCC had written to the civic body, saying “It is important that all precautions are taken to avoid such incidents as it leads to a major air pollution problem in the surrounding areas. Earlier a letter was issued to you on February 24, 2021, but to date, no reply has been received.” They had also asked to submit an accident report and an action taken report.
On February 24, the Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee had sought a reply from the Municipal Corporation to which they didn’t reply. On March 31 last year, another incident of fire took place at the dumpsite and CPCC had written to the civic body again.
On April 12, the then Municipal Corporation replied to the letter stating that on February 21, at 4.30 pm, there was a small fire due to methane gas and it turned into a major fire due to the wind at the dumping ground. Regarding the steps taken, it was mentioned that the municipal solid waste is being covered by soil from time to time, but no elaborate robust plan was shared.
Affecting lungs of newborns
Apart from those staying near the dumping yard developing cases of asthma and skin problems, the harmful air is also affecting the lungs of newborn babies.
“Already we all are suffering from rashes on the body, respiratory and other ailments; does the administration not think about the newborn babies here?” Dyal Krishan, president of the dumping ground joint action committee said.
Doctors have said that the air can cause a long-lasting impact on the health of the citizens as carbon monoxide is emitted which has a serious impact on the lungs.
“An amount of Rs 34 crore has been spent in the name of bio-mining but it does not appear to benefit the people here. If the administration does not pay attention to this issue, this shall have a deep impact on the health of several residents,” Krishan added.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
