A week has passed, and the Bhalswa dumping site in Delhi continues to burn. Apart from adding to the already high pollution levels of the Indian capital, it is posing series health risks to over 5 lakhs residents living close to the landfill. While on one hand the Delhi government has been trying hard to implement the odd-even scheme for vehicles, it has so far failed to save thousands from the ills of the smoldering dumping ground.
With the bickering between the political parties on over the issue, residents near Bhalswa fight each day to safeguard themselves. "There's no home around here which does not have masks and a bottle of cough syrup," Scoop whoop news quoted Yadav Kumar, a local shopkeeper saying. "We are ill. Our children are breathing poison. But we have no option," he said, citing a lack of resources to move to a better place.
Commissioned in 1994, the site located at the GT Karnal Road near Bhalswa was to be shut by 2006. However, nearly 2700 tons of waste is dumped each day into the site. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has said the fire has been caused by the generation of methane gas during decomposition. "We have no option as there is no land available in the capital where the garbage can be dumped," an official said. Meanwhile, the residents fight against respiratory and skin problems. "A cough syrup or an antibiotic tablet may give temporary relief to a patient but the particulate matter in the smoke enters lungs of every living being. It's carcinogenic," a resident stated. Some residents say the incidents of fire on the landfill are not rare. The site often catches fire particularly in summers "We've been breathing this methane-filled air since years now. It's become a habit now. We are just used to it," 58-year-old Jhansi Lal a resident of Bhalswa said.
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