MANGALORE: The thick smoke and foul smell emanating from the garbage dumping yard at Vamanjoor on the Mangalore-Moodbidri have affected people around the area.
Tonnes of garbage from Mangalore accumulated over several months in the 35-acre dumping yard at Vamanjoor has been burning for a few days now. Although flames are not visible, the firemen, who have been striving to put off the fire, said that the fire had spread to 10 to 20 feet depth.
K. Sheker Kottary, fire officer on duty there, said: “I do not know how many days it will take to bring this fire under control.” Firemen said more fire engines and adequate and regular supply of water were needed to bring it under control.
Environment Engineer of the Mangalore City Corporation Manjunath Shetty told The Hindu that production of methane gas – which is self-inflammable – was the cause of the fire. The vents provided for the escape of gas had been covered as garbage had been dumped recklessly.
According to Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Karnataka Medical College, P.P. Jagadish Rao, methane gas is toxic and can cause respiratory problems, particularly for children.
A composite school for both physically challenged and normal children, is adjacent to the garbage dumping yard. Its premises has been leased out by the city corporation. As this correspondent entered the school on Friday afternoon, two teachers came out covering their noses with handkerchiefs. One teacher said a couple of students had developed nausea, probably owing to inhaling the toxic smoke. Another teacher said, she was forced conduct classes with all the windows and doors closed. Ganesh Bhat, administrator of SDM-Mangala Jyhoti Integrated School, hoped that the fire would be brought under control quickly.
In the school’s ground, the children were playing on the swings or other games, unmindful of the smoke. More than 50 students in uniforms were waiting for buses at the bus-stand on the nearby highway. One resident said this was the second time in the past two months that the garbage had caught fire. Firemen struggling to extinguish the fire were themselves concerned about their health. One of them, on the condition of anonymity, said: “we are forced to inhale this poisonous gas. It will affect our health,” he said. The masks provided to them were not of great help, said the fire officer.
Tonnes of garbage from Mangalore accumulated over several months in the 35-acre dumping yard at Vamanjoor has been burning for a few days now. Although flames are not visible, the firemen, who have been striving to put off the fire, said that the fire had spread to 10 to 20 feet depth.
K. Sheker Kottary, fire officer on duty there, said: “I do not know how many days it will take to bring this fire under control.” Firemen said more fire engines and adequate and regular supply of water were needed to bring it under control.
Environment Engineer of the Mangalore City Corporation Manjunath Shetty told The Hindu that production of methane gas – which is self-inflammable – was the cause of the fire. The vents provided for the escape of gas had been covered as garbage had been dumped recklessly.
According to Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Karnataka Medical College, P.P. Jagadish Rao, methane gas is toxic and can cause respiratory problems, particularly for children.
A composite school for both physically challenged and normal children, is adjacent to the garbage dumping yard. Its premises has been leased out by the city corporation. As this correspondent entered the school on Friday afternoon, two teachers came out covering their noses with handkerchiefs. One teacher said a couple of students had developed nausea, probably owing to inhaling the toxic smoke. Another teacher said, she was forced conduct classes with all the windows and doors closed. Ganesh Bhat, administrator of SDM-Mangala Jyhoti Integrated School, hoped that the fire would be brought under control quickly.
In the school’s ground, the children were playing on the swings or other games, unmindful of the smoke. More than 50 students in uniforms were waiting for buses at the bus-stand on the nearby highway. One resident said this was the second time in the past two months that the garbage had caught fire. Firemen struggling to extinguish the fire were themselves concerned about their health. One of them, on the condition of anonymity, said: “we are forced to inhale this poisonous gas. It will affect our health,” he said. The masks provided to them were not of great help, said the fire officer.
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