Thane: Another fire at dumping ground sparks anger in Uttan villagers

Yet another incident of a major fire was reported from the dumping ground on Wednesday located in the uphills of Uttan's Dhavgi village near Bhayandar.

Already compelled to face the unbearable stench emanating from the waste process plant, the gas-laced smoke had led to various medical complications like cough, breathlessness, headaches and uneasiness among villagers, especially senior citizens.

This is said to be the fifth such major fire in less than one year. Stung by the cold shoulder response by the civic administration in resolving the issue, the villagers under the aegis of Jan Akrosh Morcha have threatened to restrict the entry of garbage trucks to the dump yard.

According to fire brigade officials, the blaze was doused with the help of four fire tenders and an equal number of water tankers, however, thick smoke continued to arise from the mountain of garbage.

Around 30 firefighting personnel had reached the spot after receiving the call. Apart from 8 to 10 tonnes of industrial and bio-medical waste, the MBMC is daunted with the herculean task of disposing of 550 metric tonnes of garbage every day.

A huge quantity of unprocessed waste has also accumulated over the past six years at uphill of the dumping yard which has added to the woes, this is apart from an adverse impact on the environment owing to the faulty geographical location of the dumping yard, alleged villagers.