Yet another fire in Perungudi dump yard

Residents said the fire began sometime on Sunday noon and by Monday, haze had enveloped the area — Photo: Deepa H. Ramakrishnan

The week began on an unpleasant note for residents of Thoraipakkam and Velachery as they woke up to the smell of burning garbage at Perungudi dump yard on Monday.

Residents of Thoraipakkam, who live on the periphery of the yard, said the fire began sometime on Sunday afternoon. Initially, it began at one spot and spread slowly. “On Monday morning, there was a thick haze and motorists on Thoraipakkam radial road were seen covering their noses with handkerchiefs,” said S. Wilson, a resident.

But residents as far as Pettai on Rajiv Gandhi Salai said they could smell the smoke on Sunday night itself.

With the wind carrying the smoke towards Pallikaranai and Velachery, motorists driving along Thoraipakkam Radial Road had to bear with thick smoke in the morning. Fire in the dumping yard is a regular occurrence in the area and complaints of air pollution, breathing difficulty and irritation of eyes are common, a resident said.

Meanwhile, activists are worried about the birds on the Pallikaranai marsh. Jayshree Vencatesan of CareEarth, a Chennai-based biodiversity research organisation, said that there were a total of 133 species of birds in the wetland and there was no research on the impact of the smoke and garbage on the wetland’s birds.

Sources in the Chennai Corporation said that fire tenders and water tankers had been pressed into service. “We are trying to ascertain the cause of the fire,” said an official.