Fire at landfill sparks anxiety in Lakshmipura

Residents of Lakshmipura near Anekal are a worried lot in the last three days, due to thick smoke billowing out of an abandoned landfill.

The real reason for the smoke is not known, but it is believed that the high secretion of methane gas coupled with chemical reaction inside the garbage heap due to rain is the cause.

For 10 years, BBMP had dumped waste at one of the landfills around Lakshmipura and suddenly abandoned it, owing to protests by local residents. Before discarding the landfill, proper norms were not followed.

Due to the smoke, alarmed residents called up the BBMP officials. The incident led to protests by the residents demanding action against the Palike officials, whose carelessness has polluted the atmosphere and jeopardised the lives of people living around the landfill.

Soon after getting information about the fire, Bengaluru South MLA M Krishnappa along with Joint Commissioner of Bommanahalli Muniraju arrived at  the spot. Krishnappa blamed an engineering college, which is letting untreated sewage into the landfill.
“The chemical reaction of sewage with the heaps of waste and the entrapped methane gas caused the fire,” he said.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Palike administrator T M Vijay Bhaskar said the recent rains might have loosened the mud capping and led to the combustion inside the landfill. He said 40 truckloads of soil will be dumped on the landfill to contain the fire.