Brahmapuram Fire: Fire Dept accuses Kochi Corporation of neglecting its warnings

Kochi: Days have passed since a fire accidentally caught at the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant in Kochi, causing people to complain of suffocation due to smog. Firefighters have been trying to extinguish the fire for over a week.

Now, the Ernakulam district fire officer has come out accusing the Kochi Municipal Corporation of neglecting its repeated warnings about the frequent fires at the dump yard and failing to take measures to prevent them.

The fire department submitted a report to NSK Umesh, the Ernakulam collector, noting the physical illness caused to firefighters by inhaling poisonous smoke.

“Inflammable gasses such as biogas are formed in different parts of the waste heaps due to the presence of food waste in the dump yard. Along with this, the scorching heat as well as dry winds with no proper distance between the contaminated heaps result in the fire from the garbage heap spreading quickly to other garbage heaps, which are piled up unscientifically. As a result of the intoxicating smoke, firefighting also becomes a challenge, as it could cause harm to health,” the fire department said in their letter.

The report stated that the fire department had informed the Kochi Municipal Corporation authorities multiple times about the steps needed to prevent fire accidents in the garbage dump.

¨But fire accidents have become a daily occurrence in this garbage dump because the necessary measures have not been implemented properly. It is hereby requested to direct the Kochi Corporation authorities for immediate implementation of the fire safety instructions and to take action under Disaster Management if the same is not followed properly, ¨ the letter said.

The officer mentioned in the letter that the unavailability of water and inadequate fire extinguishing systems were among the reasons that made it challenging for the officials to extinguish the fire.