Efforts on to douse dumping chute fire in Darjeeling

Amitava Banerjee | MP | 15 June 2023 | Darjeeling: The Darjeeling Municipality aided by the Fire Brigade and other associations attempted to douse the fire that has been burning in the dumping chute in the outskirts of the Darjeeling town since months. The smoke emerging out of the fire has not only caused inconvenience to the settlements near the dumping chute but has also emerged as a major pollution hazard. 

“The fire at the dumping chute has turned massive. We have been trying to douse the fire. The fire has caused immense problems,” stated Dependra Thakuri, chairman, Darjeeling Municipality. He stated that a go ahead is awaited for approval of a project to divert the landfill and come up with a new approach road to the new landfill. “We can then control the legacy waste. 

Proper and systematic segregation of the waste will be carried out. Waste segregation machines will also be set up,” stated Thakuri. “The Darjeeling Chute has been burning every winter. It is a result of unsegregated waste of Darjeeling being rolled down the hill over many years. 

This year, the chute has burnt unusually long, over 5 months compared to previous years where it used to burn for a month or so only. 

We are in a waste crisis in Darjeeling and the fact that the Fire Department, Darjeeling Municipality and others had to go with 60,000 odd litres of waste to douse the burning waste is proof of it. Dousing of the fire is just a temporary intervention,” stated Roshan Rai of Zero Waste Himalaya. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/efforts-on-to-douse-dumping-chute-fire-in-darjeeling-522229