The fire at Deonar dumping ground, which started on Monday afternoon, is still flaring. As the quickest way to douse fire, the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) has decided to put construction debris on the blaze. And the approximate quantity of debris MFB will need is as huge as 20,000 tonnes. "The total area under fire is one lakh sq feet and we will take at least two days to put debris on this huge area. Putting debris will stop regeneration of fire and it is the quickest way to douse it," said a senior fire officer. Thus, it is expected that the fire will be doused by Friday.
The fire had started on Monday at around 3 pm and since then eight fire tenders and water tankers have been put to service. But, since the fire is on a dumping ground, it continuously generates methane gas and regenerates the fire.
It had taken 10 days for the MFB and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to douse the fire on the Deonar dumping ground in December 2016. This time, the MFB has dug a trench around the area to restrict the fire from spreading.
Although, putting debris on garbage is the quickest way to douse the fire, it goes against the recent Supreme Court order to not dump construction debris on the dumping ground. It is only on this ground, the apex court has lifted the stay on new constructions in the city.
However, Additional Municipal Commissioner Vijay Singhal said: "It is the easiest scientific method to douse the fire. We still put debris on the dumping ground with the minimal quantity allowed by the Supreme Court. Thus, there will be debris with the permitted minimal quantity, just that we have to spread it on the fire properly to douse it. It wont be against the order."
"Due to the wind, heat and the bio-degradation process of the garbage, methane gas is produced which regenerates the fire. Although the fire is under control now, the debris will restrict the blaze and eventually douse it," Singhal added.
