Bandhwari Landfill in Gurugram Catches Fire; 4th Fire Incident Reported from Area This Month

At least 10 fire tenders were sent to the spot from Faridabad, Pataudi, Manesar and Gurugram along with 35 fire fighters to put out fire that broke out in the Bandhwari landfill near the Gurugram-Faridabad boundary early on Tuesday morning.

Gurugram: Authorities reported that a fire had broken out in the Bandhwari landfill near the Gurugram-Faridabad boundary early on Tuesday morning. They said that no casualties had been reported.

Along with 35 fire fighters, at least 10 fire tenders from Faridabad, Pataudi, Manesar, and Gurugram were dispatched to the location. However, they stated that it might take several more hours to put out the fire.

Locals informed the fire department about the issue after which the fire brigade vehicles rushed to the spot at around 5 PM. This is the fourth fire incident reported from the landfill this month. Videos of the latest incident have gone viral on multiple social media platforms.

“Combustion of methane gas may have caused the fire, as there is a higher concentration of the gas at the site. This is not the first time, fire incidents are regularly reported from the landfill during summers. The exact cause is still unknown. There are also possibilities that someone may have thrown a cigarette butt or any chemical that led to the fire incident,” Gulshan Kalra, deputy director (technical), Haryana fire services said.

As per sources, garbage collected from several areas of Gurugram are being dumped in the yard near the Bandhwadi village leading to a formation of a heap of garbage there. Time and again, locals have complained about the stench emanating from there, making it impossible for them to reside.

The reasons behind the fire near the garbage heap have not been revealed yet. Naresh Kumar, joint commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG), said that their sanitation team was on the scene assisting the fire station teams in putting out the fire.

The waste management facility in Bandhwari was shut down due to a major fire incident in 2013. Since then, more over 1,000 tonnes of untreated trash have been dumped at the location daily by municipal authorities in Gurugram and Faridabad.