Holy smoke! Nasa images of Deonar fire indicate extent of Mumbai's pollution scare

In the new year, urban pollution appears to have become the biggest headline-grabbing phenomenon in India. [caption id=“attachment_2610430” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  The fire at Deonar. Solaris images[/caption] Close on the heels of the publicity surrounding Delhi’s odd-even scheme, a massive fire at the Deonar dumping ground in Mumbai shifted the focus to the commercial capital. The extent of the fire can be gauged by images reportedly shared by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) showing smoke from the fire spreading across to the southern part of Mumbai. The satellite images show that the smoke plumes were not seen on 27 January, the day before the fire started, Hindustan Times reported. On the very next day, the city’s air quality index (AQI) deteriorated significantly, falling into the ‘very poor’ category, Indian Express reported.

Fire Burns in Mumbai Landfill https://t.co/hXSdfAQhZJ #NASA pic.twitter.com/swFc9IXm5h

— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) February 2, 2016

Residents since last Thursday faced a tough time after a fire at the Deonar dumping ground created a thick blanket of smog causing serious breathing and health problems to them. State Chief Secretary Swadheen Kshatriya has said that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was proactively concerned of the issue and that the issue would be sorted out. The fire has triggered health problems in the city, as it has led to pollution and respiratory problems, a general physician was quoted as saying by the Indian Express. With inputs from PTI