• Firefighters are working to stop the spread of hazardous fumes after a dump fire in Kochi, India.
• Which has caused deadly heat and methane emissions.
• India has not joined the Global Methane Pledge, which could prevent an increase in global temperature.

In Kochi, a city in southern India, firefighters were working hard on Tuesday to stop the spread of hazardous fumes after a dump caught fire five days earlier, engulfing the area in a dense haze and suffocating locals.

The tall Brahmapuram landfill in Kerala state is the most recent garbage mountain in India to catch fire, contributing to the country’s increasing climate difficulties by producing deadly heat and methane emissions.

Officials encouraged residents of the more than 600,000-person metropolis to stay inside or, if they must go outside, to wear N95 face masks.

Officials reported that the pollution caused the closure of schools on Monday.

The fire service in Kerala said the fire started on Thursday.

Although the cause has not been determined, flammable vapors from decomposing waste can start landfill fires.

Officially released photos and videos showed firefighters scurrying to put out the raging fires that sent thick clouds of hazardous smoke soaring far into the sky.

Despite the fact that the fire has been mostly extinguished, a substantial cloud of smoke and methane gas has continued to envelop the area, impairing vision and the city’s air quality and giving off a lasting, offensive smell.

The fire brigade said that some firefighters had passed out from the fumes.

The case will be heard on Tuesday, according to the top court in Kerala.

According to GHGSat, which uses satellites to track emissions, India produces more methane from garbage sites than any other nation.

Methane is the second most common greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide, but because it absorbs more heat, it has a greater impact on the climate issue.

The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed that as part of his “Clean India” project, efforts are being undertaken to clear these waste mountains and turn them into green spaces. If that objective is accomplished, it may help the globe reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and lessen some of the misery of the people who live next to these massive landfills.

India intends to reduce its methane production, but it has not joined the 150 other nations that have committed to reducing world emissions by at least 30% from 2020 levels by 2030 through the Global Methane Pledge.

According to scientists, the reduction might prevent an increase in global temperature of 0.2%, enabling the world to meet its goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

India claims it won’t sign on since less than 15% of its methane emissions come from landfills and instead, 74% come from agricultural animals and paddy fields.

India’s environment minister, Ashwini Choubey, warned in 2021 that reducing the nation’s overall methane output could endanger farmers’ livelihoods and have an adverse effect on the economy.

Environmentalists contend that the nation’s shouldering mountains of rubbish pose a grave threat to the planet.

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