Residents of Ingush city of Malgobek link dump fires with townspeople's non-vigilance

Fires at the waste dump in Malgobek occur, among other things, because the townspeople set fire to the garbage brought there, local residents have suggested. Garbage spontaneous self-ignitions also occur at the dump, the head of the dump operator has added. It is planned to finish the dump reclamation by the start of November, the republic's Nature Ministry has reported.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in July, Ibragim Batyrov, the Imam of the central mosque of Malgobek, appealed to the head of Ingushetia, stating that dumps were burning in the Malgobek District; and people have to breathe this air.

The dump that appeared in 1980 and now covers almost 21 hectares, is gradually expanding and moving closer to residential areas of Malgobek, a local official have stated.

"Residents of nearby dwelling settlements are complaining, especially in summer, when the wind brings the smell of rotting waste from the dump; and because of frequent fires, people have to breathe in decay products," the official has added.

According to his story, then, a high-ranking official from the Nature Ministry even promised that in 2020, the dump reclamation would begin. "But for the time being, the promised works were postponed for another year. And the garbage continued to be brought to this dump," the official has concluded.

Mussa Galaev, the head of the Malgobek administration, has noted that this summer was especially hot; and the dump caught fire. In his opinion, the dump should be monitored on the permanent basis.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 15, 2022 at 07:06 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.