Mumbai: Mankhurd fire was worse than Deonar

The fire in the scrap yard was bumped up to Level Four later

Close to a year after the city reeled under a cloud of smog following the massive blaze at the Deonar dumping ground, the choke's on us again. If the poor air quality took a sharp enough rise to rival New Delhi's last year, a fortnight into 2017 and coupled with the winter winds, the Mankhurd fire worsened the Air Quality Index of Mumbai to 337 yesterday, making it ‘very poor' on the advisory index. The air might get worse in the coming days.

Vijaybai Rathod points to the spot where the blaze occurred

The fire broke out in a scrap yard in Mankhurd on Thursday, and immediately put residents of the area in the ‘alert mode'. "It's going to be worse because it's winter. Pollutants are already present in the air, already making it all the more difficult to breathe," informed an official from the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR). On Thursday, the recorded Air Quality Index (AQI) was 289, which escalated to 337 yesterday, and might get worse in the coming days.

"The current level of the air quality has triggered the ‘health alert' warning, which means there will be significant effect on people's respiratory system," added the official from SAFAR. "However, since the Deonar fire lasted for a week, the AQI [almost] reached 400, we will have to wait and see where the index goes this time," he added.

Where do locals go?
Meanwhile, residents at the Mandala Market, located hardly a few meters away from where the fire broke out, have been facing severe health issues. Rizwan Sheikh, whose two-and-a-half-year-old son has not stopped coughing since yesterday, feels it is time for him to move out of the place. "This has been going on since years. The authorities promise us homes but never provide anything. Our houses right now are filled with smoke; it's difficult to stay inside and outside the situation is as it is. Where do we go?" said Rizwan, who works as a helper in the area.

Another resident Noorjahan Khan, who has been puking incessantly, said, "When the fire broke out yesterday, I had nobody to help me. Now my condition has worsened. We have honestly stopped expecting anything from the government. We will die a slow death here." 9-year-old Sumit Chauhan said, "I feel like a big lump is moving in my chest."

45-year-old Jayashree Katlak has not been able to leave her house after the blaze. "Everyone who could has left after the fire broke out. It's impossible to be here in the smoke. But the rest of us, who have nowhere to go, what do we do? The coughing has become severe with each passing hour and I can't leave," said Katlak.

Corporator says
While the locals continue to choke on the smog left behind by the fire and plan an agitation to air their grievances, M-East Ward corporator Shantaram Patil said, "They have the freedom to do what they want. These are people from several slum pockets of Mumbai and put here, they are not Project Affected People (PAP) to get benefits. Nevertheless, I had a meeting with the collector today and put forward the idea of converting them into PAP and give benefits, which he wilfully denied, so what can I do? The fire will keep happening till the illegal scrap houses run. I have complained, more than that I cannot be of much help."