Residents raise questions of negligence by contractor, MCC officials and environmental impact of burning

Mysuru: The fire at the decades-old solid waste dump site in the Sewage Farm of Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) in Vidyaranyapuram has been doused. This morning, workers were seen spraying water on embers and burning residues across multiple mounds of the dump yard.

The fire broke out on Sunday, blanketing a 4-km radius in thick smoke, causing severe inconvenience to residents.

MCC Superintending Engineer K.J. Sindhu supervised the fire-extinguishing operation, where over 100 personnel, including 50 contractor staff and 50 MCC workers, were deployed to contain the blaze.

They pumped water from the nearby Sewage Treatment Plant, using jetting machines and other equipment. Officials noted that a minor fire had occurred on Friday, reignited on Saturday night, and escalated by Sunday evening.

Demand to blacklist contractor

Amid the environmental and public health fallout, former Mayor M. Shivakumar accused MCC and the waste disposal contractor of negligence.

He pointed out that despite a Rs. 63 crore contract under the Central Government’s Solid Waste Management Scheme for scientific disposal through biomining and bioremediation, safety protocols were disregarded.

Though the contractor obtained clearance from the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) and the Department of Mines and Geology, critical environmental and safety conditions were not met.

Shivakumar stressed that the disaster could have been avoided with proper precautions. The project was designed to compost wet waste and convert dry waste into reusable materials, but lapses in implementation led to the fire.

The toxic smoke has posed serious health hazards, prompting Shivakumar to demand the blacklisting of the contractor and disciplinary action against MCC officials for their failure to supervise and prevent such incidents.

Meanwhile, residents of Vidyaranyapuram and J.P. Nagar suspect deeper issues behind the fire. They raised concerns about how the fire started and its impact on the contractor’s work.

With a large amount of plastic burned, the volume of legacy waste requiring processing is now significantly reduced, making disposal easier than dealing with the original waste. This has left several unanswered questions, residents said.