T

he Suwung landfill in southern Denpasar, the biggest landfill in Bali, caught fire on Monday, resulting in surrounding areas being engulfed in thick smoke.

The head of the Denpasar Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) said it was believed that the fire was started by methane gas heating up at the bottom of the landfill.

“A fire then started at the bottom of the pile, burning all the garbage on top of it, including wet garbage, which created the thick smoke,” he told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Although thick smoke engulfed the area, Joni said the fire had not disrupted any flights to or from Ngurah Rai International Airport, located about 10 kilometers northwest of the landfill, because wind blew the smoke to the north of the Suwung landfill.

Authorities estimate that the fire has burned at least 9 hectares of garbage in the landfill. It is believed that the fire is bigger than the last fire that happened in May.

An official from the Bali Public Works and Public Housing Agency, Suripto, told the Post that fire often broke out in the landfill, especially during dry months as sunlight would heat the methane gas, which would build up under the piles of garbage.

No fatalities or injuries have been reported in the incident. However, the thick smoke engulfing the surrounding areas has affected local residents.

The coordinator of Bali-based environmental group Trash Hero Canggu, Rima Agustina, said the fire could cause short-term breathing problems and eye irritation.

Over a longer period of time, such fires could endanger people living in surrounding areas because of the chemicals that could be spread through the air.

“Gases such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide and volatile organic compounds could easily be inhaled by people in surrounding areas,” she said. “Other burned toxic materials, such as in PVC, could also create dioxins that could result in severe damage to living creatures.”

According to the World Health Organization, dioxins are environmental pollutants created from byproducts of industrial processes and are highly toxic to the human body. They can cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage to the immune system, interfere with hormones and can also cause cancer.

Carbon monoxide could also cause health problems as inhaling it could lead to blocked airways, resulting in organ failure, while hydrogen sulfide can damage the nervous system.

The local fire department is trying to put out the fire on the perimeter of the landfill while the BPBD and the Bali Environment Agency are digging through the garbage with a backhoe to extinguish the fire, which was believed to have started at 1 p.m. local time.

The 32-ha landfill, which was established in 1992, receives up to 1,000 of tons of garbage each day from Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar and Klungkung.

The Suwung landfill is also home to thousands of cows and pigs. Farmers often let their animals roam free in the landfill to scavenge. (ris)