'Eating once, working double shifts': Bandhwari blaze, raging on for 4 days, takes a toll on firefighters

GURGAON: Firefighters persevered for a fourth straight day in trying to extinguish the blaze at Bandhwari landfill even as the department had to divert resources to another city dumpyard that went up in flames on Tuesday.
Jai Narayan, Sector 29 station fire officer, told TOI that long exposure to grueling heat and toxic smoke from the landfill has taken a "toll" on firemen.

"We have been asked to work 12-hour shifts because of the landfill fire. A standard shift is 8 hours long. On top of this, there are several other garbage-burning incidents across the city that we are being assigned to," one of the 35 firefighters deployed in Bandhwari said. Narayan added, "Our men were eating just once and working in two shifts in a day. To boost morale, some snacks and cold drinks were arranged for them on the site."
Officials said approximately 3.5 to 4 lakh litres of water has been exhausted since April 26, the night that fire erupted at the mountain of waste. On Tuesday, the fire department had to make 70 trips to ferry water to the landfill site. Heavy machinery, including earthmovers, has been deployed alongside 13 fire tenders to put out the blaze.
"A key challenge is that water needs to seep fully into the waste mountain to fully douse the fire," the station fire officer said. So far, 70% of the blaze has been brought under control, but the remaining could still take some time. The department aims to conclude the operation by Wednesday, but some firefighters at the site estimate it could take another two to three days.
Narayan said the other hurdle was that the department has to put out other fires too. "There are 73 fire vehicles available across stations, but the main challenge is the shortage of fire personnel. Nearly all of them have been dispatched to control the blaze at the landfill. Around 30 to 35 firefighters are stationed there. Separately, another fire broke out at Khandsa village dump-yard in Sector 37 on Monday night. It was brought under control by Tuesday evening with the help of seven fire tenders," Narayan said.
TOI reported earlier this month that of 398 permanent staff positions, just 360 have been filled in the fire department. All 343 posts for firemen are vacant, though the department has hired 37 temporary staffers and 137 payroll staffers to be their boots on the ground. The fire in Bandhwari, surrounded by the Aravalis and villages along the Gurgaon-Faridabad Road, is the fourth such blaze to be reported at the landfill this month.
Combustible methane gas released from garbage decomposing out in the open makes landfills particularly prone to fires as temperatures go up in harsh summer months.