Surat: Three fires in less than a year at Surat’s Khajod dumping site have once again brought the spotlight on the mounting plastic waste and alleged lapses in its disposal.A massive blaze broke out at the site on Sunday, sending towering plumes of black smoke into the sky, just a stone’s throw from the Surat Diamond Bourse (SDB). The latest incident comes despite the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) issuing a notice to the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) in April over frequent fires at the dumping ground.The fire, which broke out around 6.45am, engulfed heaps of highly inflammable plastic waste generated from the hotfix process used to attach rhinestones to fabrics. It took 35 firemen, seven fire tenders and more than 3 lakh litres of water to bring the blaze under control by 1pm.The Feb and March fires at the same location had already raised concerns among diamond industry representatives over the proximity of the dumping site to SDB. Sunday’s incident has renewed their demand for shifting the waste facility.
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Surat’s Khajod dump site goes up in flames again
Surat’s Khajod dump site goes up in flames again
Surat’s Khajod dump site goes up in flames again
Surat’s Khajod dump site goes up in flames again
Surat’s Khajod dump site goes up in flames again
Surat’s Khajod dump site goes up in flames again
Surat’s Khajod dump site goes up in flames again
Surat’s Khajod dump site goes up in flames again
Surat’s Khajod dump site goes up in flames again
Surat’s Khajod dump site goes up in flames again
Surat’s Khajod dump site goes up in flames again
Surat’s Khajod dump site goes up in flames again
Surat’s Khajod dump site goes up in flames again
Surat’s Khajod dump site goes up in flames again
Officials of Surat Fire and Emergency Services (SFES) said the fire originated in discarded hotfix plastic sheets, which are generated in large quantities by the city’s textile industry. The material is highly inflammable and can catch fire and burn rapidly. Fire officials added that more than 50 incidents involving hotfix plastic had been reported from different parts of Surat over the past three to four months.Jayesh Lad, Bhimrad fire sub-officer, said firefighters received a call at around 6.45am and found the flames spreading through piles of hotfix plastic dumped along the road leading to the main dumping site.“We had a tough time because the plastic was hazardous. Our first priority was to control the high flames, which were generating thick black smoke. It took us six hours to bring the fire under control,” he said.Seven fire tenders, each with a water-carrying capacity of 10,000 to 18,000 litres, were pressed into service. Firefighters also adopted the ‘bucket’ method to tackle the blaze, using earthmovers and forklifts to lift layers of plastic and check for flames underneath.Dinesh Navadiya, a diamond industrialist, termed the incident unfortunate and said repeated fires and the persistent odour from the dumping site were affecting SDB’s image and development.“We have made several representations to SMC over the past few years to shift the dumping site beside SDB. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi is making efforts on environmental issues worldwide, such incidents in his home state are unfortunate. Diamond businessmen and SDB officials are working hard to improve the bourse’s image, but SMC is in no mood to resolve this issue,” he said.TOI could not reach SMC commissioner Rajkumar Beniwal for comment.Meanwhile, AAP councillor Dharmesh Bhanderi alleged irregularities in waste processing at Khajod and warned that more fires could break out, particularly during Diwali, given the continued accumulation of hotfix plastic waste.Bhanderi claimed that no action had been taken after the Feb and March fires. He alleged that an SMC estimate made about a month ago showed that 10 lakh metric tonnes of waste remained unprocessed in the city, compared with five metric tonnes in April. He further alleged that the contractor had been paid Rs 15 crore despite failing to process the accumulated waste.He also pointed out that tonnes of hotfix plastic waste are generated daily in textile hubs such as Limbayat, Puna, Sarthana, Kapodra, Katargam, Karanj, Matawadi, Parvat Patiya and Saroli, raising concerns over its disposal and the possibility of further fires.
