Despite rain in the national Capital on Wednesday, several instances of of fire were reported from north-west Delhi’s Bhalswa landfill.
The Delhi Fire Services (DFS), which pressed two tenders into action, said this was a usual landfill fire. However, tenders were sent as precaution because the fumes were rising despite the rain.
“Just as a safety measure, the tenders were sent so that the fire did not escalate. One tender is always stationed at the landfill to control these methane fires,” said a fire official.
Waste segregation
Chitra Mukherjee from Chintan, an NGO working with ragpickers around the national Capital, said such fires were the result of the lack of segregation of waste at the source.
“When mixed waste is piled up, it degenerates into methane after a while. This is among the most potent greenhouse gases. In most countries, a landfill is the last option for waste management. By not segregating dry from wet waste, we are not just causing environmental problems, but are also risking the lives of hundreds of waste pickers,” she said.
Methane generation
Methane released from wet waste was 25% more potent than carbon dioxide. Better waste management and segregation was the only way forward, said Ms. Mukherjee, adding that the risk of such fires were higher in the summer.
