Moshi Garbage Depot Disaster: Pre‑Collapse Photo Shows Administrative Building Too Close To Massive Waste Pile

Pune: A photograph showing the administrative building at the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s (PCMC) Waste-to-Energy plant in Moshi before the 8th July landfill collapse has raised fresh questions over safety measures at the site.

The image, accessed by the media, shows the three-storey administrative building with a modern glass façade. However, it also shows a massive mound of legacy waste standing immediately behind the structure, prompting concerns over the proximity of the building to the garbage hill.

On 8th July, at around 1.30 pm, a huge section of the rain-soaked legacy waste mound collapsed onto the building, trapping 23 workers. After an 84-hour rescue operation involving the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indian Army, PCMC Fire Brigade, PMRDA Fire Brigade and other agencies, 14 workers were rescued alive while nine lost their lives.

The photograph has intensified questions over whether adequate safety distance was maintained between the administrative building and the legacy waste mound. Critics have questioned why such a building was allowed to function so close to a large garbage hill and whether the potential risk had been properly assessed.

The tragedy has also drawn attention to the approvals granted for the building. Questions have been raised over whether all floors of the structure had the necessary permissions before being occupied. Reports have claimed that only the ground floor had received a completion certificate, while the first and second floors were also in use. However, these claims have not been independently verified.

The incident has triggered demands for a detailed investigation into the planning, construction and operation of the facility, as well as accountability for any lapses that may have contributed to the disaster.

Meanwhile, the PCMC has ordered an inquiry into the incident. In its preliminary report, the civic body attributed the collapse to exceptionally heavy rainfall, rainwater seepage into the legacy waste mound and methane gas build-up within the landfill. Authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.