Locals complain of eye irritation and breathlessness; officials claim accident, assure to get situation under control
The residents of Vallabh Nagar have been fighting toxic smoke for two days now. The air in the area has become hazy, causing eye irritations and breathing problems after the garbage at Khadki Cantonment Board depot caught fire.
“The air was filled with smoke from Sunday evening that has only worsened by midnight,” said Minin Mascarenhas, a resident of the Swarganga society. He added that the burning garbage has given rise to an irksome odour and that forced residents to keep doors and windows shut throughout the night.
Sadly enough, the incident isn’t new to the residents of the area. Last year, around April residents faced the same issue and had to suffer due to bad air quality for three long weeks. Only after continuous follow-ups, certain measures were taken by the authorities.
Mascarenhas said that the residents have been demanding the depot be moved outside the area for sometime now. “The depot has been in this location at least for the last 50 years. At that time, this zone fell outside the city. Now that the sector falls within a residential area, the garbage dump needs to be moved,” he added.
“Moreover, there is no segregation of trash, which has resulted in plastic waste and wet waste decomposing and burning together, releasing hazardous gases,” Mascarenhas lamented.
Devendra Kulkarni, chairman of the Swarganga housing society, which houses hundreds of families behind the depot, said, “The society WhatsApp group was bombarded with multiple complaints of residents struggling with breathing the foul air. People also expressed concerns over eye irritation and affected visibility.” Kulkarni added that toxic gases filled in the elevators, causing suffocation to the residents.
Another resident, Pratik Sharma, said that children and senior citizens suffered the most. “Even the air quality inside the house deteriorated.”
The foul air also affected people in commercial establishments in the area. “The air quality remained bad throughout the day, resulting in fewer customers visiting my food joint for breakfast,” said, Dinkar Marathe, owner of a local eatery.
The officials concerned, however, maintained that the fire broke out due to an accident.
“The fire occurred in the depot around 12.30 pm on Sunday. As soon as the office was alerted by one of the guards, a fire-fighting team was immediately dispatched to the spot,” said RV Waikar, in charge of the Khadki Cantonment Board depot.
Waikar said that two fire engines, water tankers, 20 people and earthmovers have been present round the clock to take corrective measures.
“The scorching summers witness methane gas emitting in dumps. The soaring temperature might have triggered a fire due to the high amount of gas present in the area,” the official told Mirror.
Waikar said that lack of better alternate place does not permit the depot to be moved away. “We plan to set up a pipeline in the coming months to ensure that a fire situation of this kind is controlled before it escalates to this magnitude. We have studied the causes of the fires that have broken out previously, and a water tender to manage the same has already been issued,” he added.
He also added that the fire was contained before it could spread to a wider area. “The garbage is dumped in sections, which does not allow a fire to spread in the 22-acre depot. Water has been sprinkled in the area surrounding the fire, and the fire is now limited to a small patch only,” Waikar said, also adding that the flames will be doused and residents could expect the air to clear out by Tuesday evening.
Source : Mirror
