The Times of India 16.04.2013
40 lakh litres of water used to douse depot fire
PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation spent over 40 lakh litres of water to control the fire at the Phursungi Uruli garbage depot. On an average, 6 lakh litres of water was used per day for a week to douse the fire.
"Nearly 465 water tankers were sent to the spot since the fire broke out on April 7. Most of these tankers had the capacity to carry 10,000 litres of water, while some could carry 4,000 litres," said Pramod Yadav, official on special duty (garbage department).
Yadav said on an average, 10 tankers were deployed at the spot per day.
A huge fire had broken out at the garbage depot on April 7. After it was controlled on April 8, it broke out again on April 9. The fire was finally brought under control on April 15.
The villagers had complained of irritation in the eyes and difficulty in breathing as the smoke pervaded the area surrounding both villages. The smoke was also a nuisance to people using the roads adjacent to the dump.
"The generation of methane gas and heat causes fires regularly in such areas. Since the garbage depot is prone to fire accidents, we have deployed round-the-clock firefighting vehicles near the site. All these vehicles were used to douse the fire. More water tankers were sought from nearby villages as well as from the civic body," added Yadav.
He said that the temperature around the site was above 40 degrees and must have caused the fire. The wind speed was very fast, which spread the fire rapidly and controlling it had become a tough task.
Jadhav added that the garbage processing plant at the depot has been shut for technical work. This has led to an increase in the pile-up of garbage. The villagers, who have been protesting for years against the very presence of the garbage dump, have blocked garbage trucks from entering the depot claming that PMC failed to put out the fire.
The city generates about 1,400 to 1,600 metric tonne of garbage every day. The plant at the garbage depot processes 700 MT. The civic body stopped open dumping of the city's garbage at Uruli depot over two and a half years ago.
"Nearly 465 water tankers were sent to the spot since the fire broke out on April 7. Most of these tankers had the capacity to carry 10,000 litres of water, while some could carry 4,000 litres," said Pramod Yadav, official on special duty (garbage department).
Yadav said on an average, 10 tankers were deployed at the spot per day.
A huge fire had broken out at the garbage depot on April 7. After it was controlled on April 8, it broke out again on April 9. The fire was finally brought under control on April 15.
The villagers had complained of irritation in the eyes and difficulty in breathing as the smoke pervaded the area surrounding both villages. The smoke was also a nuisance to people using the roads adjacent to the dump.
"The generation of methane gas and heat causes fires regularly in such areas. Since the garbage depot is prone to fire accidents, we have deployed round-the-clock firefighting vehicles near the site. All these vehicles were used to douse the fire. More water tankers were sought from nearby villages as well as from the civic body," added Yadav.
He said that the temperature around the site was above 40 degrees and must have caused the fire. The wind speed was very fast, which spread the fire rapidly and controlling it had become a tough task.
Jadhav added that the garbage processing plant at the depot has been shut for technical work. This has led to an increase in the pile-up of garbage. The villagers, who have been protesting for years against the very presence of the garbage dump, have blocked garbage trucks from entering the depot claming that PMC failed to put out the fire.
The city generates about 1,400 to 1,600 metric tonne of garbage every day. The plant at the garbage depot processes 700 MT. The civic body stopped open dumping of the city's garbage at Uruli depot over two and a half years ago.
