Some shanties were damaged after a portion of Delhi’s Bhalswa landfill in northwest Delhi collapsed on Monday morning, nearly a year after a similar incident took place in August last year. Police said no one was feared trapped inside the debris.
According to Delhi Fire Service (DFS) officials, they received information regarding the incident at 7.30 AM, following which three fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the fire engines returned from the spot at around 2.30 PM.
A senior police official said that the incident took place around 7.30 AM. “A portion of the landfill collapsed and fell on the road near the shanties. The shanties near the base of the landfill were damaged during the incident. However, no major incident has taken place,” he said.
JCB machines have been called to clear the road and the work is underway, they said, adding further details are awaited.
On Saturday, Delhi recorded 139 mm rainfall, the highest one-day rain for August in at least 13 years.
This is not the first time that the landfill has collapsed. In August 2020, three people were injured and over 10 jhuggis damaged after a portion of the Bhalswa landfill collapsed following heavy rain. Three ragpickers who were buried under the debris were rescued and taken to hospital with minor injuries at that time.
The landfill, which is 53 metres high, receives 2,100 metric tonnes of waste every day from North and Outer Delhi areas. Despite reaching its capacity in 2006, it continues to be in use due to lack of alternate sites.