Almost a year after, yet another fire broke out at the Deonar dumping ground that resulted in a thick cover of smoke throughout Thursday on several parts of eastern suburbs. It caused many health problems to local residents living in the vicinity of dump site.
The fire broke out early on Thursday (3 am) and kept on raging throughout the day. The fire brigade people had not been able to control it when the reports last came in.
Large parts of Chembur, Mankhurd, Govandi and Ghatkopar were engulfed under thick smoke cover due to the fire. The fire was on Ghatkopar side of the dumping ground. Residents complained of suffocation, throat irritation and difficulty in breathing.
A senior civic official at the spot said, “The fire broke out at two-three spots in the dumping ground. As the fire spot was almost 2,000 feet away from the main road, fire engines were finding it difficult to reach the spot. We tried to lay sand on the smoke to bring it under control as there is no water source. There is also a breeze in the area which is spreading it.”
Rais Shaikh, the Samajwadi corporator from the area, said that the fire was sabotage by the contractor. “The contractor managing the dumping ground currently has to hand it over to the BMC at the end of this month.”
