‘Boosting biomining only way to tackle Dhapa fire’
Times of India | 12 April 2025
12 Kolkata: Fast-tracking the biomining activity at the waste mound at Dhapa is the only way the smouldering fire, and the pollution it generates, can be tackled, state pollution control board chairman Kalyan Rudra told TOI. On Friday, smoke continued to waft into the homes along Bypass, and heat from the dumpsite increased the ambient temperature.
The suspension of biomining by Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) due to slow progress made by the company contracted to undertake the activity has made the situation challenging. The addition of waste from Bidhannagar, New Town, and recently, Howrah, has further complicated the situation. The average daily waste addition to the site has increased from around 4,500 tonnes to 5,500 tonnes-6,000 tonnes. KMC officials said it will take time to float a fresh tender and award the contract to a company.
"The waste that is biomined has to be more than the waste that is dumped at Dhapa. Only then can the legacy waste be cleared. And that is critical to stop methane generation that is fuelling the fire," Rudra explained.
While the temperature on Bypass should be lower than the rest of the city due to the sprawling wetlands, the fire and the heat it generates have affected the micro-climate and raised the temperature. "Last year, on April 30, the temperature soared to 45°C. The methane generation that fuels the fire needs to be controlled, and that can only happen by effective biomining," said Rudra.
The PCB aids KMC's efforts to spray water at Dhapa to suppress the smoke in winter, as it otherwise leads to a significant pollution spike. However, the PCB chairman said the same is not possible all year round, as it would lead to a huge liquid waste spill from the site, which would be an additional challenge to manage.
People living along Bypass, across from the Dhapa landfill site, said they have been forced to breathe in the toxic fumes spewing from the dump yard throughout the year. "We can't open our windows. But even if they are shut, the smoke wafts in through the gaps. And if Dhapa is not enough, there is illegal smelting activity that happens in this belt which adds to the toxic fumes," said Kaushik Chatterjee, who is the secretary at the Altis condominium in Tangra.
Waste dump fires significantly harm the environment through air, soil, and water pollution, and contribute to climate change. These fires release various pollutants, like particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and greenhouse gases, impacting human and animal health, local ecosystems, and the overall climate.