Delhi air quality further worsens as Bhalswa landfill continues to burn for third day; firefighters working to douse flames

New Delhi: A fire has been raging at the Bhalswa landfill site here since 20 October, raising concerns about rising pollution levels in the city. [caption id=“attachment_5424241” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Smoke rises after a fire broke out at Bhalswa landfill site in New Delhi on Monday. PTI[/caption] Delhi’s air quality oscillated between “poor” and “very poor” category on Sunday as authorities have warned of days of severe pollution ahead. “The fire at Bhalswa landfill site broke out at 2 pm on 20 October”, a Delhi Fire Service official said, adding firefighting was still going on at the site. “Three fire tenders are working to douse the blaze,” he said. Meanwhile, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) said the fire was extinguished by noon, but the fire department maintained that the fire was still raging at the site. Bhalswa landfill site falls under the jurisdiction of the NDMC. The nearly 50 metre-high heap at Bhalswa is already saturated way beyond its capacity.