Ghazipur fire: Gasping for air as Delhi landfill burns

For days, dozens of firefighters in India’s capital have been struggling to extinguish a fire at one of the country’s largest waste heaps.

The Ghazipur landfill - a towering mountain of rubbish in eastern Delhi - exceeded its capacity in 2002 but thousands of tonnes of refuse are still dumped here every day.

Fires often break out, mostly because of the methane generated as the waste decomposes.

People near the site say their lives are blighted by toxic fumes and the stench from the rubbish.

There are hundreds of landfills like these across India, where many cities don’t have a proper waste disposal system.

Video by Anshul Verma