The state of affairs at the yard is literally in the dumps as not a single norm for safe disposal of municipal solid waste is being followed. The unregulated trash burning is not just endangering urban lives by pumping cancer-causing gases into the atmosphere but also creating a fire hazard for the thousands of residents living in the periphery of dump yard.

Upon entering the dump, the sight of smouldering garbage including everything from plastics, metals to paper, organic, electric, rubber and construction waste comes as a shock. A large percentage of the city's garbage is seen burning openly at regular distances. Even after crossing the slaughter house, the unsegregated dumping and burning of waste continues.

Experts TOI spoke to feel that burning solid waste will only worsen the city's air quality. "Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) is released in the process. The increase in these particulate matters will only add to the city's pollution level," says an official of Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB).

Some days back, the dumping yard was on flames, inform some workers at the site. The fire was so large-scale that it spread to the adjoining animal shelter of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) which shares a common wall with the dump yard.

"We didn't see the fire spreading; it must have taken place at night. An auto which was parked near the compound wall caught fire," say People For Animals (PFA) volunteers working at the shelter who feel that the fire must have spread when some lightweight particles of burning garbage were blown into the shelter. "We are worried about ours as well as the animals' safety," they add.

The cause of the fire seems uncertain but most likely man-made. While the staffers of Kanak Resources Management Limited, which is the garbage collection and transportation agency, claim that natural outbreaks of fire is a common fare in summer months, residents staying nearby argue that trash is burned all year round, thereby causing large-scale pollution and smog-like conditions.

From February 14, 2012, when a fire destroyed the plastic and recycling unit, and a part of the segregation unit of the solid waste treatment plant being operated by M/s Hanjer Biotech Energies, garbage at Bhandewadi is not being segregated or treated.

SachinKalbande, principal of a ZilaParishad school situated about 500 metres away from Bhandewadi tells TOI, "Most of the students have allergies and complain of cough, cold and fever throughout the year. The pervasive smell of burning garbage and mosquitoes is a huge barrier in their education, especially in monsoons."

Municipal commissioner Shravan Hardikar insists that the fire is not man-made. "Such flares are very common during the decaying process when natural gas is released. Yet, by stationing water tankers, we ensure that the fire doesn't spread," he said.

Environmental researcher UmashankarBahadule explains that during the decomposition process, greenhouse gas methane and heat is released. "This rises the temperature as high as up to 60 Celsius which can be a reason for methane catching fire and thereby burning of waste. But the authorities should be taking ample precautions," he says.

In the absence of security and a ramshackle compound wall, ragpickers can regularly be seen roaming illegally inside the yard. "They too could be setting fire to the garbage," say some residents.

There is fear of the fire getting uncontrolled and spreading in nearby areas. In a major violation of environmental norms, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) failed in maintaining a buffer zone at Bhandewadi. As per the Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000, the landfill site should be away from habitation clusters, forest areas, water bodies and a buffer zone of no-development should be maintained around landfill site and must also be incorporated in the town planning department's land-use plans.

No matter what the cause of fire is, what matters is that it has become a life hazard. Local doctors confirm that the improper handling and management of waste is not just endangering environment but public health too. General physician Dr MeenaChopda, who practices near the railway station in Bhandewadi, tells, "Problems like pneumonia, cough, tuberculosis, asthama, skin allergies, burning of eyes are wide among residents living in nearby areas. The garbage problem is spreading an epidemic and will have long term ill-effects on the health of thousands of residents."

General physician Dr Arjun Bhojwani, whose clinic is about two kilometres away from the dump yard, says that a large number of residents suffer from respiratory ailments, asthama, dry cough and allergies. The suffering however does not end here. Last year, Dr Bhojwani had a cancer patient living within a kilometre's range of the dump yard. "She would often complain about cough and breathlessness. Later, she got detected with early stage of lung cancer but died within six months after the disease started spreading," he says.

While it is difficult to establish if living in the periphery of landfill sites can lead to toxic diseases, experts point out that burning of some materials does release carcinogenic gases in the atmosphere. Says environmentalist Kaustav Chatterjee, "Toxic gases like dioxins and furans are emitted by burning plastic material. These gases are believed to cause cancer."

He adds that burning of other materials and metals emits greenhouse gases leading to global warming and harmful oxides of nitrogen, sulphur, carbon and poly aromatic hydrocarbons. Dr Bhojwani says that continuous exposure to such pollutants can lead to chronic diseases.

Even the National Air Quality Index of Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change warns about severe impact of increasing PM levels on public health and mentions a strong correlation between ambient PM concentrations and increase in mortality and hospitalizations due to respiratory diseases.

"PM levels in Indian cities are about 4-5 times higher than in the US cities. Several epidemiological studies have linked PM10 (coarse particulate pollution) and PM2.5 (fine pollution particles) with significant health problems including premature mortality, chronic respiratory disease, emergency visits and hospital admissions, aggravated asthma and decrease in lung function. PM2.5 is of specific concern because it contains a high proportion of various toxic metals and acids, and aerodynamically it can penetrate deeper into the respiratory tract," it states.