Students Protest Illegal Waste Dumping After Fire at Mula-Mutha Riverbed in Loni Kalbhor

A fire broke out on February 26 in heaps of untreated waste dumped in the Mula-Mutha riverbed near Loni Kalbhor, smouldering for nearly five days and releasing toxic smoke. The smoke caused respiratory issues among MIT ADT University students, hospitalizing several. Students and staff protested on March 4, demanding a halt to illegal daily dumping of 35 to 40 tractor loads of waste. Authorities extinguished the fire by March 2, and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board has issued notices to local officials to enforce waste management rules.