Mumbai Takes a Sniff and Perfumes Landfills {The 5th Sense in the News}

Desperate situations call for desperate means. After local inhabitants repeatedly complained about the suffocating stench emanating from nearby landfills in Mumbai (Bombay), India, the city government decided to remedy the bad odors with an herbal perfume. We know the relationship existing between perfume and hygiene, it can only be a temporary fix...

"Mumbai has a population of nearly 18 million, and generates 8,500 metric tonnes of rubbish every day. Nearly 500,000 people live near rubbish landfills.

Officials say that the stench from the landfills in Deonar and Mulund was so great that local residents started protesting.

So the authorities hit upon the novel idea of dousing the landfills with perfume to kill the stench.

A herbal perfume diluted with water is sprayed over the landfills almost every day.

The perfume costs $114,000 for 42,000 litres, which is required to "perfume" the landfills for between six to eight months.

"Perfuming the garbage has helped. Residents are complaining less. This will continue till we find a long-term solution," said senior municipal engineer A Karim."

Read more in India's 'Fragrant' Rubbish Dumps