Mumbai: Another fire breaks out at Mulund dumpyard

Barely 15 days after a fire erupted at Mulund dumpyard, another fire broke out on Monday in the same area, civic officials said.

The fire started around 11am and the smoke from the fire affected nearby residents

Vaibhav Sawant (37), a marketing professional who resides on the first floor of Namdev complex in Hariom Nagar, which is hardly 50 meters away from the dumping ground told mid-day, "My one-year-old daughter and 3 year-old-son have skin and respiratory problems since birth because we live near the dumpyard, now this fire has made it worse. The only option now is to shift from this place so that my kids don't suffer throughout their life,"

Smoke from the fire erupted at Mulund dumping ground. Pic/Sameer Markande

Sawant also said that the dumping ground was far away earlier from the residential complex but in the recent years it has expanded and is closer to their complex.

Another resident Rajaram Moghe 42, who resides on the fifth floor of the same building said, "Smoke has become a common problem in the area. 10 years ago, when we booked the flat the builder told us that the dumping ground is illegal and will be closed very soon."

"However, instead of shutting down, the dumpyard has expanded over the years with garbage beyond capacity being dumped. This has led to health problems among residents residing nearby. The authorities have turned a blind eye to the situation, people are falling ill due to mosquitoes menace. The flames of the fire are so high that it reaches 20 storey," added Moghe, stating that his housing complex is the nearest to the dumping ground.

Moghe, along with a group of residents from the complex, are tired sending picture of the dumping ground to the authorities of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officers.

Ravi Naik 45, President of Mhada Colony, which is a kilometer away from the dumping ground said, "Within 15 days, the fire broke out for the second time, and this looks like handiwork of some miscreants. The authorities should take some quick steps or the residents from the nearby high-rise building will move out. Breathing, itching and asthma problems are on the rise in the area," added Naik.

Dr. Kaushal Sawant, a local physician added, "Headache, vomiting, asthmatic attacks, recurrent allergies, soreness of eyes due to pollutants are common ailments of patients in the area. The harmful chemical in the dumping ground is affecting the residents and ailments will keep on rising, unless the smoke is not controlled".

An official from the Mulund fire bridage informed, "We received a call about the fire at around 11 am on Monday morning. The officers from the fire department claimed that, due to shortage of water, they could not stop the fire soon. "We tried to stop the fire with the help of a bulldozer, but the smoke did not stop. We had two fire engines and two water tankers. Also, there were three water tankers of the Municipal Corporation that are stationed outside the dumping yard on a regular basis. We managed to stop the smoke by 9 pm."