Old video of Bhalswa Landfill site falsely associated with Recent Fire at Ghazipur landfill site
A video showing a landfill site engulfed by massive flames of fire has recently surfaced on social media site X(Twitter). Users have shared this video and claimed it to be from a recent fire that broke out at the Ghazipur landfill site in Delhi.
Dr.Sam Youssef Ph.D., M.Sc., DPT who is the author/editor of American International Affairs and Political activist, as per his x bio, has shared this video on X with the caption: “In Delhi, with a population of 27 million, the Ghazipur landfill, considered the largest in India, and perhaps in the world, is on fire.” (Translated from Arabic)
Subsequently, the video has been shared by several users with similar claims.
Fact-Check
The DFRAC team investigated the viral video by converting it into some Keyframes. We reverse-searched these keyframes on Google and found that the video had been posted on X( formerly known as Twitter), two years back.
The video’s caption reads: “Mukarba Chowk Delhi bypass, Garbage mound catch fire“
Taking the cue from the caption and the date, we conducted a keyword search on Google and discovered some media reports from India Today, The Wire, and Hindustan Times.
Media reports from India Today, The Wire and Hindustan Times
A media report by India Today dated 27 April 2022 stated: ” A massive fire broke out at the Bhalswa landfill site in north Delhi on Tuesday, April 26, 2022 officials said. The fire department received information about the blaze around 5.47 pm following which 10 fire tenders were rushed to the spot, they said. Officials said presently 13 fire tenders were working at the site to douse the flames. Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday asked the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to submit a report on the Bhalswa landfill fire within 24 hours”.
Moreover, Reports from The Wire and Hindustan Times also cited similar facts in the context of the above viral video.
Conclusion
It is evident from DFRAC’s Fact-check that the viral video does not belong to the recent fire at the Ghazipur Landfill site. It shows the fire broke out at the Bhalswa landfill site in April 2022.
Hence, the claim made by social media users is false.
Analysis: Misleading
