Recurring fires at the Bhoidapada dumping ground in Vasai East have worsened air pollution across the area, with residents reporting persistent toxic smoke, foul odour and inadequate municipal response to incidents that have increased since Diwali.
The dumping ground receives waste collected from several wards in the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation area. According to a report by Loksatta, the waste has not been processed through scientific methods, resulting in large accumulations at the site. Residents and factory operators in surrounding areas have already been affected by chemical-laden leachate and severe odour, the report said.
The repeated fires have added another risk to the waste management problem. The dumping ground has reportedly been smouldering during both daytime and night-time hours, with smoke spreading across the eastern belt of Vasai. The incidents have become more frequent since Diwali, according to the report.
The smoke has caused distress among local residents, who say they are being exposed to pollution when fires break out at the waste site. The report also identifies the repeated burning of accumulated waste as a continuing issue rather than an isolated fire incident.
Kakasaheb Mote, a resident of Bhoidapada and taluka chief of the Shiv Sena (Thackeray faction), said residents had contacted the administration after a fire two days before the report was published but did not receive a concrete response. Mote also alleged that municipal officials and the fire brigade had become accustomed to fires that continue to smoulder at the dumping ground.
The report did not provide details of the total quantity of waste stored at Bhoidapada, the number of fire incidents recorded since Diwali, the duration of individual fires or the municipal corporation’s expenditure on fire control and waste processing at the site. It also did not include a response from the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation or the fire brigade to the residents’ complaints.
The situation places the focus on the operational limits of a municipal system that continues to send waste to a site where accumulated garbage is reportedly not being scientifically processed. In addition to the immediate air pollution caused by fires, the site has been associated with odour and leachate concerns reported by nearby residents and industrial establishments.
The report said residents are seeking effective waste management and action to prevent recurring fires at the dumping ground. A formal response from the municipal corporation and details of measures planned to extinguish the fires and process the accumulated waste remain awaited.
