Indian fire service teams poured truckcks of sand and mud to set fire to a huge landfill on Wednesday, after thick, foul smoke from the inferno smothered the country’s seasonally unusually hot capital.

Prime Minister Narenda Modi on Wednesday strongly warned of rising temperatures and higher than ever the number of fires burning at landfills, landfills and in forests as he said “temperatures are rising rapidly in the country… we are seeing increasing incidents of fires in various places”

The prime minister has called on Indian governments to give priority to fire safety checks in hospital buildings.

Dozens of people die each year in fires in hospitals and factories, mainly because of illegal buildings and lax enforcement of safety standards.

Fires in Delhi’s dirty landfills also add to the toxic air that the world’s most polluted capital is forced to breathe.

As Prime Minister Modi spoke, firefighters struggled to put out a blaze at the Bhalswa Landfill, a mound above the city’s northwestern edge.

The smoke from the burning garbage forced the closure of a nearby school on Tuesday.

India’s weather agency predicted heatwaves for the next five days in the country’s east, central and northwest, which includes the capital, and warned of health risks for babies, the elderly and those suffering from chronic illnesses.

New Delhi

New Delhi , Hindi: Naī Dillī) is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi . New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, (wikipedia)