Brahmapuram plant fire: Kochi struggles to breathe as highly literate state govt fails in waste management

Kerala is considered a highly literate state but, it seems like even though its a high literacy rate, god's own country has failed to use its literacy to waste management and to protect its environment. It should be noted that since the past week, it's a port city, Kochi has been choking due to the toxic fumes that have enveloped the city after a major fire at the Brahmapuram waste plant.

 

 

Kochi is facing heavy air pollution due to toxic fumes from burning plastic waste even as efforts to extinguish the fire continue with the Kerala Fire Force, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force all pitching in. The administration’s inability to contain the blaze at the plant, which is spread over 110 acres in the heart of the city, has put the spotlight on unscientific solid waste management.

 

 

As per the reports, the administration had launched a mammoth effort to douse the blaze, using 35 fire tenders—each having sprayed over 60,000 litres of water to date—120 fire personnel, two Navy helicopters, a fleet of bulldozers, two large dewatering pumps, and dozens of small water pumps. But the four-metre-deep plastic waste continues to burn and spread havoc in Kochi and Alappuzha.

 

 

 

The recent fire outbreak has exposed the deep-rooted corruption and influence of political parties in granting contracts to their favourites for waste treatment plant-related projects.

 

It's been 16 years since the waste dumping began at Brahmapuram dump yard in Kerala's Kochi.

 

Waste disposal has always been a major problem for Kochi. In 1998, the Kochi Corporation bought 37 acres of land at Brahmapuram, 17 km from the city. An agreement was signed with Andhra Pradesh Technology Development Corporation in 2005 to build a waste treatment plant there. But there was a series of protests by the residents against the project.

 

 

 

 

In 2007, a 15-acre swamp was reclaimed and a plant was built in that area. The waste plant was inaugurated in 2008 with a capacity of 250 tonnes per day.

 

However, within a year and a half, the plant suffered breakdowns. Investigations into supposed construction defects were launched but haven't really led anywhere.

 

Meanwhile, the Kochi Corporation was forced to acquire even more land on the demand of nearby residents. Today, the Brahmapuram waste plant is spread over 110 acres of land near the major IT parks of Kochi city.

 

 

 

Currently, apart from the Kochi Corporation, the Kalamassery, Aluva, Angamali, Thrikkakara, Thripunithara municipalities and the Cheranallur, Vadavukod Puthankurish panchayats also dump their waste at the Brahmapuram waste plant.

 

390 tonnes of waste is dumped at the Brahmapuram waste plant every day. 64 per cent of this is biodegradable while the rest is plastic and other non-biodegradable material.

 

Since 2012, the Kochi Corporation has had an agreement with a company called Bharat Traders to sell the plastic stored in Brahmapuram at a rate of Rs.1.5 per kg. However, the company only takes in recyclable plastic. The rest is dumped at the plant itself.

 

In 2011, plans were started to build a waste-to-energy plant in Brahmapuram under a public-private partnership. The contract for the project was signed in 2015 and the foundation stone was laid in 2018. However, the contract was cancelled in 2020 due to a lack of funding.

 

Despite several interventions by the National Green Tribunal and the State Pollution Control Board, the Kochi Corporation couldn't improve the functioning of the Brahmapuram Waste Management Plant.

 

In light of the recent fire that has left Kochi breathless, the Pollution Control Board imposed a fine of Rs 14.92 crore on the Kochi Corporation for non-compliance with waste disposal regulations. However, the Corporation has sought a stay from the high court.

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