As Delhi Struggles With Poor Air Quality, 4 Fire Incidents In A Day

A fire that started at the sprawling Bhalaswa garbage landfill site in the capital on Sunday night is yet to be brought under control, fire officials said.

Officials said the landfill was not covered with debris. Harmful chemical smoke and gases emanating from the landfill sites pose a threat to Delhi's air-quality, already recorded as very poor. 

"Some garbage was not covered and it caught fire. We are trying to cover it using debris," Sanjay Jain, Engineer, Department of Environment Maintenance Services (DEMS) at North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), told news agency IANS. 

Several fire tenders were rushed to the site late Sunday night, three fire tenders are still stationed there. 
Earlier in the day, a fire broke out in a parking lot at central Delhi's Mori Gate, a fire official said. There was a cylinder blast in Delhi's Raghubir Nagar and another fire at West Delhi's Moti Nagar.

A fire that started at the sprawling Bhalaswa garbage landfill site Sunday night is yet to be brought under control. 

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recorded the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi at 301 -- more than four times the permissible limit -- on Sunday.  CPCB officials identified Anand Vihar, Mundaka, Narela, Dwarka Sector-8, Nehru Nagar and Rohini as the worst-affected areas, warning that it won't be long before the air quality levels there turn severe. 

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered good, 51 and 100 satisfactory, 101 and 200 moderate, 201 and 300 poor, 301 and 400 very poor, and 401 and 500 severe.

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