Firefighters in the southern Indian city of Kochi are working to control fumes from a 5-day blazing mountain of rubbish that has shrouded the area in thick fog and choked residents.
India
The giant Brahmapuram landfill in Kerala state is the latest mountain of rubbish to catch fire in the country, generating dangerous heat and methane emissions and exacerbating India’s growing climate problems.
Residents of the city of more than 600,000 have been advised to stay home or wear N95 masks when going out, and authorities said schools were closed some days last week due to the pollution.
The newspaper pointed out that the fire last Thursday, according to firefighters in the state of Kerala, and the cause was not determined, but the crisis is not in controlling the fire, but because of the thick clouds of smoke and methane that still cover the area, affecting vision and air quality in the city, while it is emitted Their smell also affects the health of the population.
The fire department said some firefighters fainted from the smoke.
fire in India
India generates more methane from landfills than any other country, according to the latest data, which monitors emissions via satellite. Methane is the second most abundant greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide, but it contributes more to the climate crisis because it traps more heat. .
And while India wants to cut methane production, it has not joined the 150 countries that have signed the Global Methane Pledge, an agreement to collectively cut global emissions by at least 30% from 2020 levels by 2030. Scientists estimate that such reductions could reduce the global temperature rise. by 0.2% and help the world achieve its goal of keeping global warming below 1.5°C.
Landfill
Notably, Brahmapuram is just one of 3,000 landfills in the country, filled with rotting waste and emitting toxic gases, and spread over an area of 16 acres, according to a 2020 report by the Organization for Urban Cooperation International, a program of the European Union.
