India: 65m ‘Mount Everest of Trash’ set to outgrow Taj Mahal by 2020

W/S Ghazipur Landfill, Ghazipur, New Delhi
M/S Landfill
C/U Rubbish
M/S Excavator digging through rubbish
C/U Dog sleeping among rubbish
M/S Dog playing in rubbish
C/U Rubbish
M/S Dog walking on landfill
M/S Dogs walking on landfill
W/S Dogs walking on landfill
M/S Landfill
M/S Landfill
M/S Excavator digging through rubbish
C/U Rubbish
C/U Rubbish
M/S Excavator digging through rubbish
M/S Building next to landfill
M/S Cows near landfill
M/S Cow near landfill
SOT, Deepak, Local resident (Hindi): "We are facing lot of problems because of this garbage dumping ground. Everyone knows what happened here two years ago. It could happen again, even now. Many families are living here, this landfill is already is too high and now the government has increased the height more by dumping even more garbage here. We have requested that the government shift this dump but we've received no response from the municipality. We are facing a lot of issues, it stinks all the time and often poisonous gas is leaked from the garbage. It's a big problem here."
W/S Landfill
M/S Landfill
SOT, Harish Raval, Local resident (Hindi): "We are facing serious problems because of this dumping ground. Due to the dust and mud from the garbage dump, many people here have fallen sick. Most of us here have health problems. Even the water levels have gone down and we get only contaminated water. And there is always dust from the landfill."
W/S Dogs playing in landfill
M/S Dog walking in landfill
M/S Rubbish
M/S Dog walking on landfill
W/S Landfill
W/S Landfill
SCRIPT
A towering mound of rubbish in the Indian town of Ghazipur is set to grow taller than the country’s iconic Taj Mahal by next year, as seen in footage filmed on Wednesday.
The so-called ‘Mount Everest of Trash,’ which stands at more than 65 metres (213 feet) high, will soon need aircraft lights to warn pilots of its presence, the Supreme Court warned last year.
Apart from being a putrid eyesore and symbol of environmental pollution, the landfill poses a health and safety hazard.
Last year, two people were killed after heavy rains caused a landslide, and environmental groups allege that residents within a five kilometre (three mile) radius are at risk of health problems, including cancer.
Local resident Harish Raval explained: "Most of us here have health problems. Even the water levels have gone down and we get only contaminated water."
Between 2,000-2,500 tonnes (2,200-2,760 tons) of waste are reportedly dumped at the landfill every day.