Another fire broke out at the Deonar dumping ground on Monday night even as fire and rescue personnel were dousing the blaze that continued over the week, covering the area in a cloud of smoke.
Fire officials, however, said the blaze that broke out on Monday night was minor, resulting from last week’s fire, possibly fuelled by methane from garbage dump, rising temperature, and winds.
Around 60 fire personnel are fighting the blaze that first started in January. The Mumbai fire department has also installed a chowkie inside the dump yard with a wireless set to enable better communication and ensure quicker response.
However, local residents have expressed their frustration over the continuing fire.
“The area is full of smoke every night. This has been continuing for the last 60 days. Last night, the fire started again between 10 pm and10.30 pm and it was bigger than what we saw last week. There was more smoke,” said Mohhammed Hasan Khan, a local resident, who owns an auto repair shop.
The smoke has covered areas of Chembur, Deonar, Ghatkopar up to Navi Mumbai, with the situation worsening by evening every day.
“People are suffering. Children and senior citizens are the worst-hit,” said Dr Rahil Qumar Siddiqui, who works at Rajiv Gandhi Medical Centre, which is located on the edge of the dumping ground. The outpatient numbers have gone up by 20 per cent ever since the fire started this year. “People are complaining of irritation in the throat and eyes, and also of breathlessness,” he said, adding that the visibility at night drops to 8 to 10 metres at times.
A chemical smell hangs in the air. “We live in tenements that don’t have windows. There is a door in my house, which I can’t close as we will feel suffocated. If I switch on the fan when we sit for dinner, it feels like there is a fire inside the house,” said Mr Khan.
Locals said while the fire has got much attention and has managed to get politicians to the dumping ground, solutions remain evasive.
Fire officials said it will be a while before the fire is completely brought under control. “These are reoccurrences of the pocket fires,” said PS Rahangdale, chief fire officer of the Mumbai Fire Brigade.
Fire engines, water tankers, bulldozers, and other equipment have been pressed into service. He said it would be difficult to set a timeline for dousing the fire given that the garbage dump is spread over 300 acres and the city temperature has started soaring.
