Waste problem in Kochi a burning issue
It’s been nearly a week since toxic smoke emanating from the smouldering Brahmapuram waste dumpyard started choking Kochi and its suburbs. While people, now used to waking up to the burning smell every day, are complaining of breathlessness and uneasiness, the episode clearly stinks of apathy, malpractice and mismanagement. Health issues caused by the toxic fumes, however, will be fully known only in the coming days and months. Stepping in to help the troubled denizens left at the mercy of multiple agencies that have messed up their roles in managing the city, the Kerala High Court demanded strict implementation of waste management and handling rules before the next World Environment Day on June 5.
The fire at the 115-acre yard and the billowing hazardous smoke have brought to the surface the mismanagement and corruption in the waste handling and treatment in the Kochi corporation where the CPM is in power. It is alleged that Bengaluru-based Zonta Infratech, run by the son-in-law of a senior CPM leader, was awarded the Rs 54-crore bio-mining contract at Brahmapuram flouting experience requirements. It’s also alleged that Zonta gave the subcontract to a company run by the son of a senior Congress leader, revealing the unholy nexus between the ruling and opposition parties in the civic body.
It’s a matter of shame that the corporators of Kochi regard waste only as a means to fill their pockets, leaving the residents to fend for themselves. Closer home, cities like Indore and Pune have made significant progress in waste management. Indore, which was adjudged the cleanest city in India for the sixth consecutive year last year, daily processes 1,900 tonnes of municipal trash and generates millions in revenue, and supplies fuel for its buses. In contrast, there has been no attempt to find a solution to the mounting waste problem in Kochi. Companies, including GAIL, had approached Kochi to establish a waste-to-energy plant, only to be snubbed by the corporators.
The corporation argues that the fire isn’t man-made, but circumstances indicate otherwise. There must be an independent probe into the cause of the fire. Individuals and agencies responsible for putting people’s health and lives at risk deserve no sympathy. The government should use the opportunity to put in place a proper waste management plan in the state’s commercial capital and end corruption perpetrated in the name of garbage handling.