India: Fire rages at Delhi landfill site amid heatwave
  • 5 days ago
A massive fire raged at one of India's largest landfill sites amid a heatwave.Footage shows the inferno engulfing the huge rubbish mountain at the Ghazipur landfill site in Delhi on April 21 evening.Residents choked on the noxious fumes as the blaze continued to burn through the methane-filled site containing some 8.4 million tonnes of waste on Monday, April 22.A resident, Nazra, said: 'I live here and the smoke is causing discomfort to the eyes. We are also having difficulties in breathing. The entire colony is disturbed. Last time, when the landfill caught fire, there were casualties.'Another resident, Ram Kumar, said: 'We are unable to keep our eyes open due to irritation and are experiencing difficulty breathing.'An unnamed local slammed the government, saying the fires were a longstanding problem in the community around the landfill. They said: 'We have been facing this problem since the 1990s. We have been dealing with diabetes, high blood pressure, thyroid problems, and irritation in the eyes due to the smoke. Even small children are suffering due to it. We are not able to go out. No one is paying attention to our problems, be it the Delhi government or the central government.'Firefighters were at the scene to contain the fire, which erupted during soaring temperatures in the country.
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