Our eyes hurt, difficult to breathe: Delhi's Bhalswa landfill fire's after-effects on nearby residents

Bhalswa landfill fire: After the fire was doused through a 9-hour-long operation by fire tenders, the smoke continues to create issues for nearby residents.

Pic Credit: ANI

New Delhi: Bhalswa landfill site is proving to be troublesome for residents living near at as the massive landfill which was on fire is exuding large amounts of smoke. The landfill fire had broken out on Friday (June 3) but smoke continues to emerge on Saturday (June 4) as per news agency ANI. Residents have complained of large amounts of smoke irritating their eyes and making it very difficult to breathe as fresh air is sparse. 

ANI had shared visuals of the massive landfill fire along with photos of residents struggling to breathe and avoid the toxic fumes from the fire.

"Houses are barely a km away from the site. Our eyes hurt, it gets difficult to breathe & the heat rises too. Fire breaks out here every year from April to June. Diseases spread too. We want this landfill removed from here," said locals to ANI in an interview.

#WATCH | Delhi: Plumes of smoke continue to emanate from the Bhalswa landfill site where a fire broke out yesterday. pic.twitter.com/U5xnZwcfbp

— ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2022

"Houses are barely a km away from the site. Our eyes hurt, it gets difficult to breathe & the heat rises too. Fire breaks out here every year from April to June. Diseases spread too. We want this landfill removed from here," say the locals residing around the landfill site. pic.twitter.com/L2rr2K1Fva

— ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2022

This isn't the first time Bhalswa landfill has caught on fire and caused disturbance to residents living nearby. On April 26, the landfill in North Delhi had caught on fire which remained burning for over 6 days. 

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, however, officials said the rising temperature these days allows the formation of methane gas at the dumpyard site which is extremely flammable.

"It could have triggered a spark that would have ultimately led to this massive blaze," said the official.

Experts have time and again said that to prevent such incidents at the dumping grounds, a layer of soil should be placed regularly after dumping the waste on the trash mountain. Whether this has been implemented or not, is yet to be learnt.

(With agency inputs)