Overview

• The fire at Gurugram's Bandhwari landfill, which began on April 26, 2025, took 16 hours and over 25 fire tenders to extinguish but continues to emit toxic smoke.
• Residents near the landfill report severe air quality deterioration and health concerns due to persistent smouldering fumes.
• A second fire at the Dhanwapur dumping site on April 29 destroyed four acres of waste and displaced ragpicker families, compounding the crisis.
• Authorities have increased methane detection units, deployed additional firefighting resources, and installed 26 CCTV cameras to monitor the landfill and nearby protected areas.
• Environmentalists and residents demand systemic reforms, including ward-level waste segregation, audits of informal dump sites, and stronger interagency coordination to prevent future fires.