Fire breaks out at Bandhwari landfill site, doused in 2 hours

GURGAON: A fire broke out at the Bandhwari landfill site on Thursday morning. An MCG official said the fire would have erupted due to methane combustion or sparking caused by stones at he rear side of the landfill on the village road.
Fire officials said it took over two hours for three fire tenders to douse the flames.
“We have received information on the fire around 10.36am.The three fire tenders were sent from Udyog Vihar and Bhim Nagar fire stations,” Gulshan kalra, deputy director (technical), Haryana Fire Services.
MCG joint commissioner claimed excess methane gas in the landfill could have triggered the blaze.
“Combustion of methane gas may have caused the fire as there is a higher concentration of gas at the landfill. Another reason could be sparking caused by stones at the site. We have, however, directed all agencies working at the site to be careful so such fire incidents are prevented,” Naresh Kumar, MCG joint commissioner for Swachh Bharat Mission, said.
However, the villagers said that the fire broke out on Wednesday night and was not visible due to fog. “We have to bear the brunt of the pollution caused by such fire incidents. We are already suffering because of the leachate flow into the surrounding villages and other health issues that are caused due to this waste mountain,” a villager said.
“A fire at this landfill is reported every four months, so nothing has changed on ground. Commissioners come and go, but nothing changes. I suspect that the waste was deliberately put on fire ahead of the NGT hearing on January 9. The temperature is also not very high. There is still leachate flowing out of the landfill site in the jungle,” said Vaishali Rana Chandra, an environmental activist.