Blaze again at Bandhwari, toxic smoke envelops GCR, SPR areas

Gurgaon: A massive fire erupted at Bandhwari landfill on Saturday evening, resulting in dense smoke billowing from the site for several hours.
The fire persisted until Sunday evening, casting a haze over the areas near Gurgaon-Faridabad road and in proximity to upscale residential colonies off Golf Course Road (GCR) and Southern Peripheral Road (SPR).This marks the 10th occurrence of a fire at the landfill this year so far, which has raised significant concerns on safety and proper management of the site.
The blaze, suspected to be caused by methane gas combustion, was reported around 5.15pm on Saturday. Over 15 fire tenders were deployed to control the fire, which was brought under control around 12.30 am on Sunday, according to fire department officials. However, locals said they could see smoke billowing from the landfill in the evening too.
Environmental activists have criticised management of the landfill, calling for immediate action to tackle the underlying problems. Vaishali Chandra, an activist, said, "The frequent fires are an indication of mismanagement and lack of proper waste processing."
Locals and commuters have also expressed their distress over recurring fires. Mohit Bhadana, a resident of Bandhwari, said, "We have been witnessing several episodes of fires because of the untreated waste in the landfill. We have been living in hell. It feels like everything is choking."
The Sector-51 air monitoring station turned ‘poor' from ‘moderate' on Sunday due to pollution caused by the fire. MCG has assured that their sanitation team is actively assisting the fire services in controlling the blaze. An MCG official stated, "We are coordinating closely with the fire department teams to ensure the blaze is completely extinguished."
Frequent fires at the landfill highlight the urgent need for better waste management practices and infrastructure. "The authorities must take swift action to find out the root causes of these incidents and implement sustainable solutions to prevent recurrences. This includes proper segregation of waste at the source, efficient waste processing, and development of alternative waste management facilities to reduce the burden on the landfill. Moreover, health and well-being of the residents living in the vicinity of the landfill must be prioritised. The authorities should conduct regular health check-ups and provide necessary support to those affected by the pollution caused by the fires," said Sunil Harsana, an environmentalist and wildlife expert.
According to the MCG affidavit submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Bandhwari landfill has nearly 9.6 lakh metric tonnes of waste lying unprocessed. Additionally, 2,200 tonnes of waste are transported daily from Gurgaon and Faridabad and dumped at the landfill. A recent TOI report revealed that MCG's waste processing agency managed to treat only 53,935 metric tonnes of legacy waste in August, the lowest amount processed in the last nine months.