Noida: A massive fire broke out at the Sector 145 dumpsite in Noida on Monday and was brought under control on Thursday after four days of firefighting. The temporary dumping site contains nearly 7.5 lakh tonnes of legacy waste. To contain the blaze, firefighters deployed 10 tenders and 30 personnel. Noida Authority shifted the dumpyard from Sector 123 to Sector 145 in 2018-19. Since then, waste at the site has steadily increased.Decomposing garbage releases gases, sustaining smouldering flames, while toxic smoke and the scale of waste slowed firefighting efforts. “The exact cause of the incident is not yet known,” GB Nagar chief fire officer (CFO) Pradeep Kumar said after the fire was doused on Thursday.The Authority has now engaged an agency for remediation work at the site. “The site will be cleared in one year,” Noida CEO Krishna Karunesh said.On Wednesday, Noida issued a letter of intent to Indraprastha Gas Limited to set up a 300 tonnes per day compressed biogas plant. As of now, it is not clear whether this facility will come up in Sector 145 or at another location. In Nov last year, the Noida board approved a proposal for a solid waste management plant to generate bio-CNG, aimed at handling the city’s rising garbage load.The Authority also previously remediated waste at a dumpsite in Sector 54, which has since been converted into a wetland.Noida currently generates 800 to 1,000 tonnes per day (TPD) of municipal waste.The Authority initially planned for a dumping ground to come up in Sector 123, but the site was later shifted to the vacant lot in 2018-19 following protests by residents. Residents of Sector 145 and nearby areas also protested the move, but were assured that the site would be relocated within six months. They later approached the National Green Tribunal, which allowed dumping at the site until a permanent solution was found.Fires at dumpsites have become a common occurrence in the city.In June 2019, a massive fire broke out at the same site in Sector 145, with firefighters working for several days to control the blaze. A dumpsite in Sector 32 saw massive fires that burned for days three years in a row in March 2025, March 2024 and May 2023.Residents of sectors 137, 143, 146 and 159 expressed concerns over their health and well-being in light of the recent fire. These incidents often leave the surrounding residential areas covered in a shroud of smoke, lowering visibility and leading to respiratory problems.Residents of Sector 145 and nearby sectors have urged officials to shift the dumpsite on many occasions in the past.“We repeatedly raised the issue with the concerned authorities and also wrote to the chief minister seeking urgent intervention, but no visible action was taken so far. The continued dumping of mixed waste in Sector 145 was causing foul smell, air pollution and serious environmental concerns for nearby residents,” Sudhanshu Nirala, a resident of Sikka Karnam Green Society in Sector 143, said.The recent fire made the situation more critical, as smoke and toxic emissions further endangered public health, he said, adding, “There is urgent need for immediate closure of the dumping activity and proper scientific waste management.”
