20240503 Fire brigade called in to douse biomass fire in New Town
India May 03 2024 “Other”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 0 or unknown Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Fire brigade called in to douse biomass fire in New Town
Updated: 2024-05-03
Kolkata: Firemen had to rush in to control flames from stubble-burning at a field near tank number 12 in New Town Action Area II on Wednesday afternoon.
Residents alerted the local authorities after which a fire tender was sent to the spot. Local cops also rushed to the site. Residents said that grass was burnt at the open field near their housing complexes for at least two to three times in the past one week.
Stubble, grass and biomass burning on vacant plots continues in different parts of New Town even during this intense heat spell, increasing the CO2 level and adding to the heatwave conditions.
New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) officials said that the standing instructions to check and prevent stubble- and grass-burning were in place. “All necessary actions are being taken in this regard,” said an NKDA official.
Experts said that stubble- and grass-burning predominantly takes place during winter. Instead of collecting and properly disposing them of, the trimmed grass is often burnt to dispose them quickly, they said. “This is adversely affecting the environment as it is increasing the air’s toxic levels, including CO2, and adding up to the rising temperature. This is a localised problem and preventive steps need to be taken,” said environmental scientist Swati Nandi Chakraborty.
Earlier, NKDA had arranged for water tanks, CCTV and watch tower surveillance and kept volunteers to find out biomass-burning. An inspection path was also carved out between the vacant plots at the Central Business District (CBD) area for the authorities to regularly enter the fields and keep a watch to prevent any such incident.
A mapping was also conducted to identify areas where rampant stubble-burning happens so that authorities can stay alert and reach the spot as soon as it gets noticed or reported.
Web Source The Times of India