Fire at Bhagtanwala garbage dump, residents forced to breathe toxic air

With the temperatures rising sharply, fires have started breaking out at the Bhagtanwala garbage dump in Amritsar. As soon as temperatures touch 35°C, the highly flammable waste at the site gets ignited spontaneously, triggering dense smoke that blankets nearby residential areas.

Residents living in the vicinity of the dump say they are forced to endure suffocating conditions due to the toxic air. “It becomes extremely difficult for us to breathe. The smoke pervades our homes, especially when the wind is blowing strongly,” said a local resident. A moderate wind on Sunday evening further aggravated the situation by spreading smoke in residential areas,” said Sandeep Sharma, a resident.

Some of the farmers, who visit the adjoining grain market, are also raising concern that in case the fire enters the Mandi complex due to winds, who will be responsible for the damage? The farmers and workers in the grain market are also facing inconvenience as the wheat procurement is going on.

Currently, approximately 18 metric tonnes of legacy waste lies accumulated at the site. The Amritsar Municipal Corporation (MC) had, way back in 2018, proposed a bioremediation plan to clear the site within two years. The plan also included the installation of a waste-to-energy plant to produce green coal. However, despite the directions from the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the implementation process has been sluggish, and bioremediation has yet to take off properly.

According to officials of the MC Health Department, the large mounds of untreated garbage continuously release methane gas, which becomes a major fire hazard during the summer season. The rising temperatures make the dump site increasingly vulnerable to fires.

“This problem has persisted for the last 15 years. Every summer, it’s the same story, but no lasting solution is sought,” said Narinder Singh, a resident.

In the face of growing criticism, MC officials have now claimed that new contracts are being negotiated with private firms to eliminate the legacy waste and finally kick-start the waste-to-energy initiative.

Until real action is taken, thousands of residents living in nearby areas will continue to suffer the hazardous effects of the smoldering dump.

Amritsar