Fire breaks out in Padegaon garbage dump; smoke causes severe distress to residents

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

Thousands of metric tonnes of old waste have been lying for several years at the garbage processing plant in Padegaon. The accumulated waste frequently catches fire, and for the past eight days, thick clouds of smoke have been rising from the site. Residents living in nearby areas are facing extreme hardship due to the continuous smoke.

The municipal corporation has been deploying two to three fire brigade water tankers daily to control the blaze, but the fire still remains uncontrolled.

Earlier, the city witnessed a garbage crisis in 2018. Since then the legacy waste (unprocessed garbage waste) is lying at the above plant. On May 7, garbage in the outer section of the depot suddenly caught fire. Despite continuous water spraying every day, the flames continue to spread.

The smoke is posing a serious health risk to residents in the Padegaon area, with many suffering from severe respiratory problems, leading to growing public anger. Chief Fire Brigade Officer Ashok Khandekar said that methane gas had formed within the waste heaps, and the rising summer temperatures were causing the garbage to ignite due to the methane buildup.

The efforts to contact the deputy commissioner (solid waste management) Nandkishor Bhombe proved futile as he was not available to comment.