Terrifying fire in New Delhi’s largest waste dump

In these hours, the capital of India is suffocated by toxic fumes, after a dense, pungent and very dangerous haze spread from a shocking fire in a waste landfill, the latest in a series of landfill fires

One more dump which goes up in flames, in yet another powerful, devastating fire. In the past few hours, the enormous landfill has in fact gone up in flames Ghazipur of New Delhi, the capital of India (here alone more than 2,300 tons of solid waste arrive every day).

It took all night to put out the fire, but black smoke continued to billow from the site into the surrounding area, seriously endangering the health of all residents. The last fires occurred between March and April 2022.

Read also: The largest landfill in the world that provides work to hundreds of people (but slowly kills them)

Our eyes are burning and no one can leave the house. The conditions are so bad that children are crying, says a local resident, Riyazuddin Saifi.

The fire of Ghazipur (the last of a long series)

The cause of the fire remains unknown, but what seems certain is that Landfill fires are often triggered by combustible gases resulting from the disintegration of the waste itself. Every year, as mercury levels rise during New Delhi’s scorching summers, the city’s landfill sites catch fire, with the rotting waste adding to gas emissions methane which warm India’s climate.

Methane is the second most abundant greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide, but it contributes more potently to the climate crisis because it traps more heat. And according to GHGSat, which monitors emissions via satellite, India produces more methane from landfills than any other country.

According to a 2023 report by the Center for Science and Environment, a nonprofit research agency in New Delhi, The Ghazipur waste mountain is just one of India’s estimated 3,000 landfills overflowing with rotting waste and emitting dangerous gases. At 65 meters tall, it is almost as tall as the historic Taj Mahal and is an eyesore that towers over surrounding houses, damaging the health of residents.

Methane emissions are not the only danger from landfills: over decades, the toxins they seeped into the ground, polluting the water supplies of thousands of people living nearby.

Solutions to the landfill problem in India

Basically none.

As part of its initiative “Clean India”, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had stated that efforts are being made to remove mountains of waste and convert them into green areas. This goal, if achieved, could alleviate some of the suffering of those living in the shadow of massive landfills – and help the world reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

But there is a but: India itself did not join the 155 countries that signed the Global Meater Pledge, a pact to collectively reduce global emissions by at least 30% below 2020 levels by 2030. Scientists estimate that the reduction could reduce global temperature rise by 0.2% and help the world meet the goal of keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

India has said it will not join because most of its methane emissions come from agriculture – about 74% from farm animals and paddy fields versus less than 15% from landfills. Omissions welcome.

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