Smoke continues to spread from the Vellalore dump yard, where a fire broke out on Sunday, with approximately 10 acres of land holding mounds of legacy waste now affected.
Coimbatore Corporation officials have deployed 24 water tankers from Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, and Dharmapuri to sprinkle water round the clock at the dump yard in an effort to contain the situation.
“Due to release of methane gas from the burning waste there are chances for fire to break out again. But it is mostly contained, and we are monitoring the situation closely,” another official said .
Smoke from the fire has spread up to 10 km west of the dump yard due to wind direction, reaching Sundarapuram as on Sunday evening. By Monday, it extended to the Eachanari-Chettipalayam bypass, south of the dump yard. Several residents living within a 10-km radius of the site have reported breathing difficulties and other health concerns.
“Fire safety precautions were inadequate, despite the severity of this year’s summer in Coimbatore. So much drinking water has been utilised to contain the fire,” remarked K. S. Mohan, secretary of the Kurichi-Vellalore Pollution Prevention Action Committee.
