A fire at a garbage dump in OMBR Layout on Tuesday night brought the focus on the hazards of setting fire to garbage dumps.
A resident who posted on Twitter about the incident said the fire began at the junction of the 4th Main Road and 4th Cross Road.
Despite the resident’s efforts to extinguish the flames with a garden hose, they persisted and spread, posing a serious threat to a nearby tree and a coconut seller’s hut. The fire raged for at least 30 to 45 minutes after it was spotted around 9.30 pm, until the fire service eventually
extinguished it.
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“BBMP’s indifference and someone’s mischief would together have caused a disaster,” he had tweeted. The resident told DH that the garbage in the area is usually cleared every few days, but this pile had been left untouched for more than 10 days. They suggested the fire could have been caused by either mischief or an accident that was made worse by dried leaves and garbage on the ground.
On Wednesday morning, a team of five to six personnel from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) arrived and cleared the area. The team apologised to the resident and assured that this would not happen again.
Captain Rajbir Singh, chief marshal of the BBMP, said they have received complaints from residents about the open burning of garbage, mainly in outer areas, lake beds, vacant sites and along roadsides.
“We’ve seen cases where pourakarmikas themselves are burning waste. We have tried to raise awareness and impose penalties,” he said.
Currently, there is one marshal per ward, but they have multiple responsibilities, he added.