KOCHI: Inaugurated two months ago, the community-level diaper incinerator plant at the Brahmapuram waste dumping yard is yet to become fully operational due to technical and operational issues. The plant, built by Raidco Kerala Limited, was expected to treat around 100 tonnes of sanitary and special care waste generated every month in Kochi, including sanitary napkins, diapers, and medical waste collected by government-approved agencies.
“There was an issue related to the electricity connection to the plant. A better voltage is required to operate the plant. Because of the issues, only small amounts of biomedical waste were treated at the plant. Now the issues have been corrected, and once the 3-tonne-capacity trial run is completed, the facility will be commissioned,” said Seena Gokulan, health standing committee chairperson of Kochi corporation.
Earlier, the trial run was delayed due to confusion about the diesel required to run the plant. “But that was not mentioned in the agreement. Though the corporation council had decided to provide diesel, later the company agreed to cover the expenses to purchase diesel and run the facility,” said an official with the health wing of the corporation.
The plant is built at a cost of Rs 3.49 crore and can treat 3.5 tonnes of waste a day.
A revised agreement on the operations and maintenance will also be signed between the corporation and the company once the trial run is completed.
As the waste coming to the community-level diaper incinerator plant includes diaper waste that is soaked in faeces, the Kochi Corporation, meanwhile, is also planning to set up a dryer at the Brahamapuram dumpsite to dry the biomedical waste before it is processed. The proposal to set up a dryer was made by the Raidco company.
“The waste takes more time to burn directly and requires more diesel to burn it completely. We have discussed this and have recommended installing a dryer after the plant is fully operational, one month after its commencement. It will also help in reducing the cost of operations,” added Seena.
The city currently generates around three tonnes of biomedical waste every day, which is now treated at the Kerala Enviro Infrastructure Ltd (KEIL) unit in Ambalamedu.
The biomedical waste is being treated at a cost of Rs 30 per kilogram. Once the plant is commissioned, the amount can be reduced to Rs 10 per kg, sources said.
