BHUBANESWAR: The delay in lifting green debris dumped at various locations in the City in the aftermath of cyclone Fani has sparked fear of major fire mishap among residents of the State Capital. After the cyclone caused extensive damage to the Capital’s green canopy, the civic authorities earmarked 25 locations across the City to temporarily store the damaged greenery collected from various Wards and later transported it to the main dumping yard at Bhuasuni.
Tonnes of green debris have been dumped in the open at Exhibition Ground, Capital High School, Unit-II Girls High School and several other places which are situated in close proximity to residential colonies. With the City reeling under intense hot conditions and the soaring mercury drying up the green waste, a possible conflagration cannot be ruled out if adequate precautions are not taken at these temporary locations to prevent the debris from coming in contact with fire.
Locals said as the damaged trees and branches have dried up due to the heat, a mere ‘beedi’ can ignite the green debris. “The authorities of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) should take adequate measures to ensure that the debris don’t catch fire. They should also take steps to remove the debris from these temporary locations immediately,” they said.
BMC officials said they are trying to clear the debris from these locations at the earliest to avoid any mishap. The debris are being initially shifted to the Temporary Transit Station near Sainik School, the designated place of dumping waste, and later transported to Bhasuni.
The civic officials said a number of vehicles and adequate manpower have been deployed to clear damaged trees and branches. “We have engaged 60 JCB, 75 tippers, 25 Hyvas, 270 tractors and 470 workers to clear the green debris from the City,” said a BMC official. Besides, water is being sprinkled on the debris every day to prevent it from catching fire, he added.