Fire at Kalyan dumping ground: Residents evacuated, no casualties reported

A fire broke out in the Adharwadi dumping ground in Kalyan late Tuesday afternoon, according to The Indian Express. The local residents complained of breathlessness, but no casualties were reported. It took seven hours to bring the fire in the 4-acre land, under control. At least, 12 fire tenders from neighbouring areas like Bhiwandi, Ambernath and Ulhasnagar were deployed. According to the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KMDC) officials, the fire broke out at around 3.30 pm, and could not be doused immediately because of the strong wind.

Thane (Maharashtra): Fire broke out at Agarwadi dumping ground in Kalyan yesterday, thick smog engulfs the area pic.twitter.com/0PN5hf3hrF

— ANI (@ANI) June 1, 2016

The officials cited methane generated from the garbage as a probable cause for the fire. According to the Hindustan Times report, the affected areas are Maharashtra Nagar, Subhash Nagar, Adharwadi, Sathe Nagar and Wadekar. The dumping ground is surrounded by a residential area which is not more than 200 metres away. Around 2,000 residents have been evacuated due to the heavy smog filling up the air. A similar fire had broken out in February at the Deonar dumping ground and it had taken weeks to douse it. Even then the residents had complained of breathlessness and polluted air. The Adharwadi dumping ground in Kalyan (West) has been in use by the KDMC since 1984 and without any scientific method for disposal, the pollution in the nearby areas has worsened over the years.