Ire over smoke and trash fires in Kharadi

Pune: For the last one month, hundreds of residents in societies of an upscale Kharadi locality have felt like they have stepped into a post-apocalyptic reality.Each day, these residents are forced to wear masks every single time they step out of their homes, in a desperate attempt to avoid the toxic smoke emitted 24x7 by burning garbage on a nearby plot. The acrid fumes have left all demographics reeling, ranging from children to senior citizens, ailing persons and pets. Many pointed out that they have to wrap up their faces elaborately even to run the simplest of errands. The residents alleged that it all began at least a year ago, when unknown parties started dumping construction debris on the site in question. Gradually, the trash piled up here to a height of around 15ft, they said. Several residents believed that the land was being prepared for construction by a private developer. "However, around a month ago, a fire broke out in the debris. Since then, toxic fumes and thick smoke have been emanating continuously from the site. During this time, we gathered information and discovered that the land belongs to Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and is reserved as a garden plot," said Prashanta Das, a resident of Gulmohar Privilege society, located close to the dumping site."The fire brigade has been called to the spot multiple times, but despite their repeated efforts, smoke continues to emanate and enter nearby buildings, making it increasingly difficult for us to breathe," the businessman added. Besides Gulmohar Privilege, other surrounding societies affected include Marvel Citrine, Arunaren Residency and Forest Edge. There is also a school adjacent to the plot, where the smoke regularly wafts in. "We have been raising the issue with local authorities and PMC for the past 20 days at least. We are requesting immediate removal of the debris from the reserved garden plot and a permanent resolution to the problem. The situation has become unbearable, with senior citizens reporting breathing difficulties and children showing signs of discomfort due to continuous exposure to toxic fumes," said Das. Rohit Nayak, a resident of Marvel Citrine, said the all-pervasive stench is intense. "Everything from plastic to leather seems to be burning on this site. We don't know if the fire was lit by chance or someone has been lighting it to hide the garbage, but our condition can best be described by the word ‘hellish'. Opening our windows or standing in the parking of our societies is out of the question," he further said. "Parents of some students from the adjacent school said that their children had been hospitalised due to breathing issues. Many said their kids are skipping school or compulsorily wearing masks at all times. We thought we could get help from civic officials, but the response has been very disheartening," added Nayak, an IT professional who has been living in the neighbourhood for the last four years. Those with pre-existing health conditions are worse off. Deepali, a housewife, said she already has a hypersensitive respiratory tract — and now, has to grapple with allergic bronchitis caused by the smoke. "Initially, there was just a stench because of the garbage being dumped there, usually at night. Around three weeks ago, it started catching fire. It was not a raging blaze, but there were a few instances when we could see the flames. Now, there are thick fumes rising out of the dump daily. Residents can shut it out temporarily by closing our windows, but imagine the plight of our security guards. There is no respite for them," she said. "There were better ways to level the ground if that was the intention. Pollution in Kharadi is already high with an exponential rise in construction and steady increase in vehicle numbers. The air quality is bad already and we did not need this additional issue," she added. Many locals pointed out that there used to be a lot of trees on the currently trash-filled plot, which were axed almost a year ago. Shammi Prabhakar, a chartered accountant and resident of Marvel Citrine, said, "The site reserved for PMC's public garden is now a dumpyard. We demand that the entire pile-up of garbage be removed to figure out what is on fire. We have stopped sending our children down to play because of the smoke they will inhale. My eight-year-old daughter has developed lung issues and I had to visit a pulmonologist again last week." "I raised a complaint on the platform X with PMC, and got a ticket issued as well. However, they simply closed the ticket without any on-ground action. When I asked a civic official why the ticket was closed without a resolution, she just said this is routine," Prabhakar added. On March 7, residents here submitted an application to the Kharadi police station to halt waste dumping on the site. A few local representatives had previously visited the plot in the third week of Feb and promised action. Residents on Monday, also visited the PMC assisstant commissioner in charge of their ward to demand immediate respite. "After constant complaints over more than a month, on Monday we finally saw two vehicles deployed by PMC to remove the garbage," Prabhakar said.When contacted by TOI, deputy commissioner Avinash Sakpal of the PMC solid waste management department said, "I am aware of the garbage burning and dumping at the site in Kharadi and have deployed staff to fix the issue. We have sent machinery since Monday to lift the garbage from the site. However, since the fire is still on we cannot move the entire garbage in one go, but be assured that we are working on resolving it." CITIZENS SPEAKSmoke from burning garbage releases fine particulate pollution and toxic chemicals that go deep into the lungs. Pune urgently needs an effective flying squad that can respond quickly and stop garbage burning. We have been asking PMC for such enforcement for years. We cannot accept toxic smoke as a normal part of city life — Hema Chari | Core-member, Warrior MomsLast week, when we visited the riparian zone near the Ram-Mula rivers' confluence, we saw a big burned patch of land. On Monday as well, a visit to the same confluence location revealed another big patch on fire. We are trying to find out if these are being lit on purpose. We are at present going thrice a day to keep a watch — Shubha Kulkarni | Volunteer, JeevitnadiMaharashtra has been one of India's top four states in crop burning for 10 years now, but this fact is ignored completely by govt and citizens alike. Since we don't see the smoke for a longer duration, the state treats it like it's not there. It's still spiking PM10 and PM2.5 levels and ending up in our lungs. We're just breathing it in without the visual warning— Ravindra Sinha | Member, Pune Air Action Hub