
KOCHI: Once a stinking mountain of waste that choked Kochi after a massive 11-day fire in March 2023, the Brahmapuram dumping ground is in line to host a biopark. The Kochi corporation will set up the biopark after completing the biomining process and allied work at the site, said Minister for Local Self-Government M B Rajesh after a visit to Brahmapuram on Monday.
He said 75% of the biomining at the dumping ground has been completed.
“Of the estimated 8,43,000 tonnes of waste dumped there, 6,08,325 tonnes were removed through biomining. Through this, around 18 acres were recovered. This is 46% of a total area of 39 acres. The biomining at the site will be completed by May,” Rajesh said.
The minister was accompanied by Mayor M Anilkumar, Kunnathunadu MLA P V Sreenijin, and the officials concerned. “The government considered the Brahmapuram accident an opportunity to create a garbage-free Kerala. After the disaster in 2023, we promised that the Brahmapuram dumping yard would be turned into a paradise. But people mocked us for that. We have kept the promise and are planning a park in the recovered area,” he said.
While the fire exposed the faults in the city’s waste management, it motivated the state government and the local authorities to emphasise on initiatives like Malinya Muktham Nava Keralam.
BIOGAS PLANT TO BECOME FUNCTIONAL BY MARCH-END
The compressed biogas (CBG) plant developed by BPCL on the land recovered after biomining at Brahmapuram will become functional by the end of March. “The plant is capable of processing 150 tonnes of biodegradable
waste and producing 15 tonnes of biogas per day. The gas produced at the plant will be transported to the refinery through a pipeline,” Minister Rajesh said.
Other waste treatment facilities planned at Brahmapuram
Windrow compost plant
RDF plant
Waste-to-energy plant
Construction and demolition waste plant
Leachate treatment plant