• Reason not known 
•  One fire-tender gutted 
•  15 fire-tenders, 6-8 water tankers deployed to douse the fire
•  The dumping yard previously witnessed fire incidents in 2014, 2017 and 2020

 

 

A gigantic fire broke out at the Bhandewadi dumping yard of Nagpur on Saturday afternoon, endangering lives of hundreds as it spread rapidly to nearby residential areas. The fire was so huge that it was clearly visible from kilometres away which caused panic among nearby residents. While firefighting, one fire-tender of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) was also gutted. Due to the fire, whole dumping yard was engulfed in thick plumes of smoke, creating a sense of panic among commuters and onlookers. As per the information, it was the biggest fire in Bhandewadi so far which will keep the whole mechanism of NMC busy at least for the next 24 hours.

 

Upon receiving the information about the incident, at least 15 fire-tender from different fire stations -- Lakadganj, Civil Lines, Wathoda, Kalamna, Trimurti Nagar, Sakkardara and Sugat Nagar -- rushed to the spot and are currently engaged in efforts to control the massive fire. Due to the spread of the fire, Antuji Nagar, Suraj Nagar, Sangharsh Nagar, Om Nagar, Pawanshakti Nagar, Tulsi Nagar and some other areas which are situated near the premises of the dumping yard experienced the impact of the smoke, making it difficult for residents to breathe. “After getting the information, our teams rushed the spot and started efforts to control the fire. Wind factor was the major reason behind the spread of the fire covered 10 acre of area in the dumping yard. Even, the first fire-tender which was rushed to the spot, gutted in the fire and still it is burning,” said Dr Gajendra Mahalle, Deputy Commissioner, Solid Waste. “No injury took place in the incident as all firemen ran away when the smoke was coming towards the vehicle. So far, 15 fire-tenders deployed to douse the fire but it will take 2-3 days to control the fire completely,” said Dr Mahalle. As per the information, the fire started from the upper side of the garbage dump which spread all directions due to wind. “Some rag-pickers was there when the fire started. We will interrogate them to find out the exact reason behind this fire” said the senior officer. After getting the information, Municipal Commissioner and Administrator Dr Abhijit Chaudhari, Additional Municipal Commissioner Vasumana Panth and other senior officials from NMC and police department visited the spot and took stock of the condition. The fire incident is not new for Bhandewadi dumping yard as many such cases took place in the past. In 2020 itself, there are three fire incidents took place in the dumping yard which was happened in April and May months. Similarly, the summers of 2017 and 2014 also witnessed fire incidents but the ongoing fire incident was the biggest one so far in city.

 

 

 The trapped methane gas in the pileof garbage formed by decomposition of organic waste might be the reason of the massive fire broke out in Bhandewadi dumping yard on Saturday, opined several environment experts to ‘The Hitavada’ spoke to in aftermath of the fire. The city is already experiencing the wrath of sun with maximum temperature rising with each passing day. “This increase in temperature can cause the combustion of the methane gas entrapped in the pile resulting in the massive fire,” informed Anasuya Kale Chhabrani, President, Swachh Association. She also blamed the inaccurate waste management practices for the occurrence of the fire. She said, “The methane is produced due to decomposition of organic material. The domestic waste is required to be segregated properly in organic and inorganic wastage, which does not happen. This causes danger of fire as the inorganic waste like paper, plastic, rubber and other materials help to spread the fire rapidly once its ignited due to methane.” Leena Buddhe, Director, Centre for Sustainable Development (CFSD), cited no accountability of the contractor as a major reason for faulty waste management system in the city that caused such a massive fire. “NMC is simply giving the contract, but there is no accountability and nobody is bothered whether the contractors are actually performing their duties properly,” stated Buddhe, who has conducted several studies in Bhandewadi area on air pollution. She also echoed the views of Chhabrani regarding the waste management. “The mixed garbage is simply dumped at the dumping area. The methane gas is produced due to decomposition of organic waste and higher temperatures in summer accelerates the decomposition process leading to increased methane production. This methane is highly flammable and ignites if accumulated in sufficient concentrations and cause fires,” said Buddhe. She also appealed the NMC to act in time. “NMC needs to wake up. Just giving away contracts doesn’t end their responsibility. Regular check and maintenance is required. Decentralised waste management is the only solution to avoid such disasters,” Buddhe added. Kaustav Chatterjee, Founder, Green Vigil Foundation also suspected the human error as a possible reason for the major fire while agreeing with the opinions expressed by Chhabrani and Buddhe. Chatterjee said, “The reasons for fire could be manmade, rag pickers, who has acess to the area, may throw a burning bidi or match stick. Or, due to excessive heat, some inflamable material dumped along with garbage might catch fire.” 

 

 

The massive fire that broke out in Bhandewadi dumping yard on Saturday raised panic among nearby residents. The residents are now fed-up of repeated fire incidents in the dumping yard and also from the bad odour of garbage there. Rajeshwar Shukla, a resident of Suraj Nagar, told ‘The Hitavada’ that the dumping yard was a biggest obstacle for the development of the vicinity. There were health problems among the residents due to bad smell and smoke. A resident of Om Nagar, Suresh Patil said, “We witnesses fire in the dumping yard every year during summer season. The majority of the fire are minor but this one was the biggest till date. NMC should take concrete step to stop fire incidents in the yard as it produce excessive smoke which cause health hazard.”

 

 

The Maharashtra State Commission for Scheduled Cast (MSCSC) took stock of the fire incident and asked NMC to submit a report as early as possible before the commission. Adv Dharmapal Meshram, Vice President, MSCSC on Saturday visited the spot and interacted with local residents about their problems related with the dumping yard. A large number of Schedule Cast and Schedule Tribe people reside near Bhandewadi dumping yard and they face health hazard due to air, water and land pollution due to the dumping yard. The residents also registered complaint regarding repeated fire incidents in the vicinity to the Commission.