KOCHI: It was on March 2, 2023, that a major fire broke out at the Brahmapuram landfill, where the daily solid waste generated by the entire city was being dumped for around 15 years. The heaps of legacy waste turned the blaze into a massive inferno. It took 12 days of continuous operation to douse the massive fire.
The episode called for a solution to Kochi’s improper management of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), which leads to air, water, and soil pollution. However, by then, Brahmapuram had turned into a giant wasteland.
Since 2008, when a 250-tonne waste treatment plant was inaugurated, waste was being dumped at the plant. The bio and non-biodegradable wastes began to pile up and turn into heaps, covering almost the entire 110 acres at Brahmapuram allocated for waste disposal since what was being treated was far less than what was dumped each day.
The intensity of the problem can be gauged just from the depth — the wastes remained buried at a depth of up to three-and-a-half metres. When the blaze broke out, the fire force couldn’t even reach most parts of the landfill, as what was visible was only heaps and heaps of legacy waste.
‘35% waste cleared’
The corporation a year before the fire incident had realised the gravity of the issue and initiated biomining, according to the suggestions of agencies such as the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). However, due to the major incident, it switched to a fire-fighting mode. Soon, it replaced the first biomining agency for tardy progress with Pune-based Bhumi Green Energy (BGE) Ltd. The aim was not just the disposal of legacy waste, but the reclamation of the land at Brahmapuram.
Now, after almost a year, a visit to the dumpsite reveals tracts of black soil land. This is in stark contrast to the pictures of heaps of waste with a small blue-coloured building of the corporation at the centre.
In the biomining process, 3,62,395 tonnes of waste has been disposed of in six months (approximately 35 per cent of the total estimated legacy waste). The company now claims it will clear the entire legacy waste by April next year.
“As of June 13, approximately 11 acres of land has been reclaimed. Soon, 80 acres will be retrieved in the targeted period,” says Sanket Jadhav, Technical Director, BGE.
According to Mayor Adv M Anilkumar, the earlier situation called for a system correction. Though windrow composting, part of the original plant operation, is an ideal one, the composting capacity is less than the actual waste collected, he explains.
“So, now we’ve started full-scale biomining, besides having two centralised plants, operated by FABCOO and Zigma, each having 25-tonne capacity. These operate with a biological treatment process using Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae. We’ve joined hands with the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) to establish a Rs 150-crore CNG Plant, which is scheduled to be commissioned in March 2025,” he adds.
Corporation’s plan
The corporation has stopped bringing non-biodegradable items like plastics to Brahmapuram. Instead, these wastes are directly collected from households for recycling purposes.
“Of the nearly 300-tonne waste generated in the city, 20 per cent (non-biodegradable items) is now collected from households by Haritakarma Sena and sent to recycling plants. The actual waste being brought to Brahmapuram is only around 240 tonnes. The proposed CNG Plant will have a capacity to treat 150 tonnes. Also, we plan to increase the capacity of the two biological waste treatment plants that use the Black Soldier Fly method to 50 tonnes. Once they are implemented, the waste treatment capacity will increase to 250 tonnes. The biomining process too will be completed by next April,” explains a senior corporation health official.
Also, the Rs 3.45-crore biomedical waste treatment plant, a first-of-its-kind initiative undertaken by a local body, is nearing completion. “The three-tonne capacity plant will facilitate incineration and disposal of sanitary wastes such as soiled sanitary napkins and adult diapers among others,” the official adds.
A technical sanction has been accorded to set up a new Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant (FSTP) on the land being reclaimed through the biomining process. “This will have a capacity of 0.2 MLD. With a new FSTP coming up, the total capacity will rise to 1.2 MLD, sufficient to meet the city’s requirements (0.8 MLD),” he points out.
The corporation officials exude confidence that with the waste heaps being cleared, the chances of another fire tragedy are minimal. However, things are not as rosy as being projected.
All is not well
While an initial survey conducted by the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Calicut assessed the quantity of legacy waste at around seven lakh tonnes, a drone survey found that the actual quantity is much more, approximately 8.4 lakh tonnes.
“We’ve taken up a series of measures like biomining to address the issue. However, after the drone study, the deadline will have to be extended. For the plan to increase the capacity of two biowaste plants, only one proprietor has submitted the proposal,” says T K Asharaf, Health Standing Committee Chairperson.
Have the promises been kept?
A delegation led by Industries Minister P Rajeeve had visited the waste treatment plant in February and assured several measures. TNIE visited the facility to examine the current scenario:
Promise: Construction of access roads to all parts of the dump yard
Ground situation: A tiled ring road, providing access to all major areas inside the dump yard, has been laid. However, two peripheral muddy paths leading to the boundaries (a branch of Kadambrayar flows through three sides) are yet to be tiled and are difficult to navigate.
Promise: Will ensure interior roads in the dumpsite have access to 16 and 25-tonne fire engines
Ground situation: Only 16-tonne fire engines can access.
Promise: 30 street lights to be installed at Brahmapuram
Ground situation: Streetlights have been installed all along the ring road
Promise: 12 hydrants costing K75 lakh to be put in place
Ground situation: A total of 11 new hydrants, besides the existing six, have been put in place, along with a 1,500-metre-long hose.
Promise: Three water tanks with 50,000-litre capacity to be constructed, in addition to the existing two
Ground situation: Only two water tanks of 30,000-litre and 50,000-litre capacity
Promise: 21 cameras to be installed
Ground situation: A total of 15 advanced cameras (six by CSML) have been set up.
Promise: 30% legacy waste to be removed by June
Ground situation: As of now, 35% cleared