Gurugram’s Bandhwari landfill catches fire; efforts on to douse flames

This is the fourth fire incident reported from the Bandhwari landfill this month and the videos of the latest incident have been widely shared on social media platforms

A fire broke out in Bandhwari landfill on the Gurugram-Faridabad border Tuesday early morning, officials said adding that no injuries were reported. At least 10 fire tenders were sent to the spot from Faridabad, Pataudi, Manesar and Gurugram along with 35 fire fighters but it may take a few more hours to douse it, they said.

Smoke rises from the Bandhwari landfill on the Gurugram-Faridabad border after a fire broke out at the site Tuesday early morning. (Photo by Raj K Raj/Hindustan Times)

This is the fourth fire incident reported from the landfill this month and the videos of the latest incident have been widely shared on social media platforms.

Gulshan Kalra, deputy director (technical), Haryana fire services, who also holds the charge of deputy director (technical), of the fire station at Sector 29, said that they received information about the fire around 5.15am on Tuesday, and within 10 minutes, they alerted other fire stations to send fire tenders.

“Combustion of methane gas may have caused the fire, as there is a higher concentration of the gas at the site. This is not the first time, fire incidents are regularly reported from the landfill during summers. The exact cause is still unknown. There are also possibilities that someone may have thrown a cigarette butt or any chemical that led to the fire incident,” he said

Naresh Kumar, joint commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG), said that their sanitation team is at the spot and they are helping the fire station teams in dousing the fire.

Vaishali Rana, a city based environmental activist, said, “Fire incidents at Bandhwari landfill are quite common during summers since Solid Waste Management (SMW) Rules are not adhered to. The higher temperatures cause organic matter present in the waste to decompose more rapidly, thereby emitting greater quantities of methane, which, under enough pressure and oxygen intrusion into the landfill, spontaneously combust. The only solution is to monitor and ensure that everyone is following rules and regulations at the site.”

A major fire in 2013 had caused the Bandhwari waste management plant to become defunct. Since then, municipal bodies in Gurugram and Faridabad have continued to dump over 1,000 tonnes of untreated garbage at the site every day.