Pacchanady Landfill Still Smoking after Massive Fire 2 Days Ago- Safety Hazard for Residents
Mangaluru: A massive fire had started at nearly 5 acres of Pacchanady dumping yard/landfill, in the outskirts of Mangaluru, after the waste there caught fire on Wednesday afternoon Jan 23rd. The fire personnel stared an operation to douse the fire which did not come under control even until evening. The fire had spread as deep as 22 feet and the services from the Fire Department, Antony Waste Management Cell Ltd, Mangaluru City Corporation, with the help of five fire tenders and two earth-movers had tossed the trash around and sprayed it with water in an attempt to extinguish the fire on Thursday. The fire was seen at around 2 pm in the afternoon of Wednesday, on the left side of the dumping yard and as the evening came in, the fire only gathered force and tongues of flames could be seen leaping out into the sky. There was thick smoke everywhere and foul smell started dominating the surroundings here. Thick smokes emanating has choked the residents nearby.
Even though the huge fire has been doused, this morning (Friday) when Team Mangalorean visited the place, at few spots tiny fire flames could be seen, but the smoke hasn’t stopped yet, thereby posing safety hazards to the nearby school children and residents. Dozens of stray dogs and cows, including hundreds of birds were seen feeding on the trash, amidst the smoke. While there is a suspicion that some miscreants might have started the fire, but officials from MCC officials and waste management say that the fire is common during summertime, when the trash gets heated up, resulting in flames. Since there is loads of garbage here, chemicals might have got accumulated leading to the creation of gases. Even foul smell pervades the area.
Speaking to Team Mangalorean, an official from Waste Management firm said, “Such fires are common annually as the core of trash heats up during summers, and a moderate gust of wind thereafter, ignites it. Nothing much can be done for such kind of natural fire, but this massive fire has been brought under control, even though smoke still emanates out of the burnt trash. It may take one or two days for the smoke to die down. There is not much harm to the human beings from this smoke, as it evaporates into the sky”.
In the meantime, MCC Commissioner Mohammed Nazeer said, “Such massive fire was seen only four years ago. This fire is a case of methane formation due to waste. This fire is totally due to the chemical reaction, which can’t be prevented. But I am glad that the fire personnel have done a great job in dousing the fire within hours. It may take another two days to bring everything under control”. Speaking to media Chief Fire Officer T N Tippeswamy has said that he will make a recommendation to MCC to install a hydrant system, which is a necessity at the landfill so they can douse such massive fires.
