KOCHI: It was on March 2 last year that a major fire first broke out at the 110-acre Brahmapuram waste treatment plant, which went on to emit toxic smoke that engulfed large parts of the city and its suburbs for nearly a fortnight. A year has since passed, but the situation on the ground in terms of waste management — which was largely blamed for the blaze — remains as bad, if not worse.
A report by the amici curiae, appointed by the Kerala High Court, says the current system, or the lack of it, for the management of wet waste at Brahmapuram is lamentable. Bio-wet waste collected from various households within corporation limits is being moved to Brahmapuram and simply ‘dumped’ at a site located approximately 200m away from the biomining plant, says the report, a copy of which is with TNIE.
The amici curiae prepared the report after visiting the dump site. Calling for a fire and safety audit, the report said safety measures would need to be incorporated/installed to ensure that no fire breaks out in the first place. And even if it does, there ought to be sufficient infrastructure to contain and fight it.
A foul smell pervades the surrounding area due to the piling up of biodegradable waste, it said, adding the site is a breeding ground for rodents, insects and vermin. Terming Brahmapuram a brewing public health hazard, the amici curiae said there is an immediate need for materialisation and functional commencement of the black soldier fly (BSF) project, to cater to the mounting bio-wet waste produced by the city.
If the BSF project is to be further delayed, the report recommended that at the very least, an arrangement be made by the corporation to ensure the ‘management’ of wet waste is not confined to dumping the same at Brahmapuram.
It also suggested routine safety measures/pest-control measures to ensure public welfare and safety. Twenty-one trucks were running and available for transporting the waste, with some doing even two trips a day. The collection of waste is also conducted at night in certain areas. A study of these records revealed that nearly seven to nine trucks bring in loads at night, almost routinely, the report indicated.
Hoses and hydrants have been installed at certain places and supplied with water from the nearby water body as part of latest fire-prevention methods. However, the existing numbers are insufficient, it stressed.
‘Brewing public health hazard’
Terming Brahmapuram a brewing public health hazard, the amici curiae said there is an immediate need for materialisation and functional commencement of the black soldier fly (BSF) project, to cater to the mounting bio-wet waste produced by the city