According to data shared by the civic body on January 18, and seen by HT, 159 fires tore through Delhi's three garbage mountains in Ghazipur, Bhalswa, and Okhlain 2017. This number started dipping since then. It fell to 120 in 2018, 48 in 2019, eight each in 2020 and 2021, five in 2022, and just one in 2023. There have been no fires so far this year, said officials.
The last time a fire broke out at a landfill in Delhi was on June 12 last year, when a blaze ripped.
through parts of the Ghazipur waste mountain. The fire was controlled by late that evening but smoke continued to emanate from the dump site till next day.
This is the first time in decades when there hasn't been a single fire in a landfill in Delhi after the monsoon and in the winters. In 2022, we had four major fires and one minor fire in June," said an MCD official who oversees the management of landfills in Delhi.
Officials from the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) confirmed the data and attributed the dip to "better preventive measures taken by all agencies".
Siddharth Singh, programme manager of the environment governance and solid waste management at the Centre for Science and Environment, said that there was no reason to be sceptical about the number of fires going down as biomining was taking place on all three sites. "But we should wait for another summer so that the measures can be put to test for a longer period," he said.
Members of the local sanitation workers' unions said that the number of fires has gone down but they cannot confirm the exact figures. Delhi Fire Services also verified that the last landfill fire was reported on June 12, 2023.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Palestinian PM Resigns Citing 'New Reality' Of War In Gaza
The United States and other powers have called for a reformed Palestinian Authority to take charge of all Palestinian territories after the end of war
Future Perfect: The Kids Are All Right
Gill and Jurel hold out promise by simplifying a challenging chase to help India seal series
Akshay feels 'blessed' to have worked with OG Ramayan cast
Director Akshay K Agarwal shot a music video, Humare Ram Aaye Hai, with the cast of the 1987 TV show, Ramayanactors Arun Govil, Dipika Chikhlia and Sunil Lahri - in Ayodhya recently.
Musk's firm gets nod for Sat Net; joins Jio, Bharti
Starlink, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has been allowed to offer satellite broadband services in India, two officials aware of the development said.
A temple, 169 years in the making
Through decades of design and reworks, hurdles in engineering and construction, HT pieces together how the grandeur of the Ram Temple was reclaimed
'Political interference' forces Vihari to quit Andhra cricket
After Andhra bowed out of the Ranji Trophy at the quarter-final stage with a four-run defeat to Madhya Pradesh in Indore on Monday, senior batter Hanuma Vihari launched a scathing attack on the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA), saying he will never turn up for the state again.
Shafali, Kapp lead Capitals to a 9-wicket win over Warriorz
A blazing fifty by Shafali Verma (64₹, 43 balls) helped Delhi Capitals make a mockery of a target of 120 and open their account in the second edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL).
Making 'unbelievable things believable', the Ayhika way
The India No. 7 was an inspired pick for the world team event and she repaid the faith, beating the Chinese world No.1
'Connected TVs to reach 45 mn by 2024-end in India'
With improvement in broadband penetration, Indian households are increasingly opting for connected or addressable TVs.
India chip strategy makes progress as $21 billion in proposals received
The Indian government, after years of watching from the sidelines of the chips race, now has to evaluate $21 billion of semiconductor proposals and divvy up taxpayer support between foreign chipmakers, local champions or some combination of the two.