KOCHI: With the new corporation council giving top priority to waste management in the city and suburbs, the functioning of the Brahmapuram waste dumping yard has once again come to the focus.
A visit by Mayor V K Minimol and newly elected standing committee chairpersons to the Brahmapuram waste dumping yard has revealed the serious challenges that persist in waste management and maintenance of the waste treatment plant, contrary to public perception.
Water seepage from the Kadambrayar river and Chitrapuzha into the reclaimed land, along with the accumulation of unprocessed waste, have caused significant ecological damage to the area near the plant. The new corporation council is planning to restart biomining operations and implement corrective measures.
“Though a substantial area of land was reclaimed through biomining, water intrusion has resulted in major losses. We need to refill the reclaimed areas with soil to stabilise the land,” the mayor said, after visiting the site on Wednesday.
The corporation council is also planning to set up a windrow compost plant in the yard to ensure efficient processing of biowaste brought to Brahmapuram. “Since the fire broke out three years ago, food waste processing has not been carried out completely, leading to the accumulation of organic waste. This leftover waste is mixed with the soil and plastic waste.
The existing black soldier fly plant can only process up to 100 tonnes, while the city generates nearly 240 tonnes of organic waste daily. The weighbridge, office building, and old treatment plant were also destroyed following waste accumulation. So we need to bring in a new project to solve the issue and process the waste. The construction of the windrow compost plant will start soon,” she said.
Meanwhile, the trial run of the compressed biogas plant, built by the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited at a cost of Rs 90 crore, is progressing. The plant has a capacity to process 75 tonnes daily in the initial phase, with plans to expand it to 150 tonnes per day.
Aiming to address the issues in the management and maintenance of the Brahmapuram plant, the mayor added that necessary amendments will be made in the Brahmapuram master plan. “The public has a perception that the issues in Brahmapuram have been resolved.
That is not true. Around 2.5 lakh tonnes of plastic waste have not been included in biomining. The septage treatment plant is poorly maintained. Our aim is to implement the necessary project proposed in the master plan after the necessary amendment. The plan should be feasible for all municipalities and panchayats in the area.”