Few months ago, in the report “Wasted Health” published by ISWA, it was clearly mentioned that dumpsites are becoming a global health emergency. Both the authors (me and David Newman) couldn’t imagine that the fire that started recently in Deonar, Mumbai’s 132 hectares oldest dumpsite, that receives 4,000 tons of waste per day, will be so emblematic for our argument. Actually, the smoke emitted is so thick that it blotted out the sun and obviously, the health risk for the neighboring residents are more than high. The fire is so big and intense that it is also visible from space, according NASA’s released satellite images. You can see the relevant CNN video here. 
NASA’s estimation is that the garbage pile is roughly 30 meters big.While the authorities are still looking for the cause of the fire, something practically useless since in such a dumpsite spontaneous fires are the rule and not the exception, we can certainly remind the obvious.
The scale of the health and environmental risks posed by dumpsites is visible from space, so it can’t ne visible and understood by decision makers, governments and international stakeholders. This is a global alarm, if we don’t have a global coordinated response to the health emergency posed by dumpsites, such incidents will become more ann more frequent. We need a roadmap to close at least all the 50 biggest dumpsites of the world right here, right now and ISWA has already started to work on the first phase of such a project.. Anyone who would be interested to cooperate for such a project, please contact me directly
