KOCHI: The Brahmapuram waste treatment plant and Kalamassery waste dumping yard, which have been in the news for frequent fire outbreaks, witnessed massive fires once again on Tuesday. At Brahmapuram, a heap of plastic garbage behind the waste segregation unit caught fire around 1.30pm while the non-biodegradable waste piled up at Kalamassery Municipality’s waste dumping yard caught fire around 3pm, according to Fire and Rescue Services officials.
The efforts of fire officers to douse the fire, which started around 1.30pm, continued till midnight. Like last year, thick columns of smoke from the fire at Brahmapuram engulfed Kakkanad, triggering panic among residents.
“At first, there was only a small fire, but as the wind blew, the fire spread to a large area. Though fire units from Thrikkakara, Eloor, Gandhinagar, Aluva and Tripunithura stations reached the plant but they could not approach the area as the road was full of garbage and mud. The dysfunctional fire hydrants at the plant also gave a tough time to the firefighters. However, the fire was brought under control in two-and-a- half hours,” said an official.
Thick fumes spread to Ambalamugal, Kakkanad and Irumpanam areas. The situation was not different in the Kalamassery waste dumping yard, which is located on the side of NH-66. The fire was spotted in the yard around 3pm and the employees soon alerted the municipal authorities.
Fire units from Aluva, Club Road, Gandhi Nagar, Angamaly, North Paravoor, Perumbavoor and Pattimattam were pressed into service. The dumping yard was earlier in the news for polluting the nearby Thombunkal Thodu and the Periyar. A regional committee appointed by the National Green Tribunal had earlier warned that fire accidents, like the one seen at Brahmapuram in 2019, could occur in the Kalamassery yard.
“The waste removal has been entrusted with the state government’s Clean Kerala Company and they have not removed the plastic waste for the past few days. Hence, a huge heap of waste was in the area and this caught fire. A detailed probe will be carried out,” said Kalamassery municipal chairperson Seema Kannan.