Plastic not to be dumped anymore at Brahmapuram waste plant in Kochi: CM
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Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government on Wednesday decided that plastic will no longer be taken to the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant in Kochi where a fire broke out last week.
The decision was taken during an emergency high-level meeting chaired by the Chief Minister to discuss the fire mishap.
Ministers P Rajeev, M B Rajesh and Veena George; Kochi Mayor M Anil Kumar, Chief Secretary Dr V P Joy, Additional Chief Secretaries Dr V Venu and Sarada Muraleedharan, State Police Chief Anil Kanth, Director of Fire and Rescue Services B Sandhya, the District Collector and officers of Fire and Rescue, Indian Navy, Kerala State Disaster Management Authority and Pollution Control Board were present at the high-level meeting.
It was also decided that bio-waste will be disposed of at the source as much as possible and the window composting system for organic waste treatment will be repaired urgently, the statement said.
A public campaign would also be conducted in Kochi to create awareness among residents on waste management. The Chief Minister said that meetings should be held by Ministers concerned, Kochi Mayor and other people’s representatives prior to this campaign.
The fire broke out at the solid waste treatment plant of the corporation around 4.30 pm on March 2. Fire and Rescue services and police teams rushed to the spot immediately and launched efforts to douse the blaze, the Collector said.
The thick smoke that emanated from the charred plastic heaps at the waste dumping yard continued to spread over large areas choking the city and its suburbs. With summer at its peak in the state, the fire became intense.
The residents have been complaining of health issues such as eye burns, cough and breathlessness due to the thick smoke.
Even though the fire has been fully doused, the smoke continues to spread around the city.
Apart from Fire and Rescue, the services of Indian Navy and Indian Air Force were also sought to douse the fire, the Collector added.
Currently, efforts are being taken to churn the heaps of garbage with earthmovers and to pump water into it, in order to prevent the emission of smoke.
Over 30 fire engines and three pump sets having high capacity brought from Alappuzha are engaged in this task. Around 60,000 litres of water are being pumped into the area per minute, informed the Collector.
The district administration is coordinating the fire-fighting effort involving 300 Fire and Rescue personnel, 70 other workers, around 50 Hitachi/JCB operators, 31 fire units, four helicopters and 14 high-pressure pumps.
