mumbai

Updated: Dec 19, 2019 00:59 IST

Thane

The constant smoke billowing out of Diva dumping ground has covered the surrounding areas with smog.

The pollution is worrying and alarming, say residents of Diva.

Frequent fires in the dumping yard have led to pollution and residents have been facing health issues. The dumping ground at Diva is on a private land, which the civic body uses to dump garbage.

“The dumping ground is spread on four plots. Fires occur in garbage dumps and talks are on to scientifically treat this dumping ground,” said Sandeep Malvi, public relations officer, Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC).

Residents said they have been facing health issues by the constant fire and the presence of smog,

“Most of us have cough and sneezing. Children at times face breathlessness. But, we have no option but to stay here as we cannot afford another house,” said Mahesh Parab, 45, resident of Diva.

Around 400 residents live near the dumping ground.

“When our houses were built on the land a few years ago, the dumping ground was a kilometre away. But garbage has increased and spread onto the adjacent land. At night, the area stinks,” said Arati Mulik, 32, a local resident.

Urmila Bagade, 38, had to send her son away to a relative’s place after he complained of breathlessness.

“My seven-year-old son, Ashish, started breathing heavily. We sent him to a relative’s place in Diva (West) and he seemed much better. The polluted air near the dumping ground is causing a lot of health problems,” said Bagade.

The locals pointed out to a small piece of land further away from the dumping ground that had shrubs spread across. The area was also a dumping ground but as the civic body has asked to stop dumping here, shrubs have grown over them.

According to a TMC officer, “There used to be instances of smoke billowing from the ground due to the half-burnt methane gas released from the waste. Methane is 21% more potent than carbon dioxide, when it burns incompletely. It was decided in March 2018 to scientifically close a portion of the dumping ground. Also, we need to investigate the reasons for the fire or smoke.”

A HEALTH HAZARD

TMC dumps around 500 metric tonnes of waste at the Diva dumping ground every day. Among these, 200 metric tonnes is non-recyclable waste. A fire broke out on the dumping ground last week. Toxic fumes still emit from the ground, leading to bad air quality. TMC cannot close the ground until an alternative treatment plant or dumping site is identified. TMC treats only 10% of the total 800 metric tonnes of waste the city generates daily.

In 2012, residents had written to TMC officials to close the dumping ground but nothing has been done so far