Fire breaks out at Ghazipur landfill; fire tenders rushed to the spot

Just a month after a landfill in east Delhi's Ghazipur region collapsed, a fire broke out at the same venue on Saturday evening.

As per reports, five fire tenders were at the spot to douse the flames.

While no reports of burns or injuries have been reported, the fire can escalate the pollution levels in an already smog-heavy New Delhi.

Last year, during Diwali, the capital was recorded as the most polluted city in the world due to a combination of smog, stubble burning and firecrackers.

Ghazipur is not new to disaster. Only last month, two people were killed and more than a dozen were injured after a huge portion of the garbage mountain at the 50-metre-tall Ghazipur landfill site collapsed. Authorities said 7-8 vehicles on a road parallel to the landfill site were washed away. The road has a canal and a drain on each of its side.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday issued showcause notices to the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

Stating that there could be nothing more humiliating than people being killed under a"garbage hill", the green tribunal asked the agencies to explain why punitive action should not be not taken against them. It also asked all the municipal corporations to submit an action plan, citing immediate steps being taken to restore the landfill as well as other such sites in the city within a week.