Minister P Rajeev said that the government was taking all necessary measures to ensure that the fire was doused as soon as possible.
Kerala Ministers P Rajeev and MB Rajesh visiting the Brahmapuram waste plant. (Facebook)
On the ninth day after Kochi became a ‘toxic gas chamber’, Kerala ministers P Rajeev and MB Rajesh visited the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant, where a fire had occurred on 2 March.
While speaking to reporters in Kochi on Friday, 10 March, Rajeev said that the government was taking all necessary measures to ensure that the smoke and the fire were doused as soon as possible.
“There were instances of finding fire almost six feet down the dump yard, which made the process of dousing the fire very difficult,” said the Kerala minister for law, industries, and coir.
“Since we are not sure about the depth of the fire and also because of the chances of fresh fire, we cannot predict a clear timeline for completion. However, all possible methods are being taken by the government to ensure the safety of the people,” Rajeev added.
The minister also said that even though the fire was under control, the smoke emanating from the plastic waste in the area was the current issue.
“The smoke in almost 80 percent of the area is under control. The firefighters are spraying around 40,000 litres of water per minute into the heap. Also, water is being filled in the wasteyard by digging ditches of 4-foot depth to control the smoke,” he explained.
Meanwhile, a higher-level meeting presided by the state’s Health Minister Veena George decided to that medical camps would be conducted throughout the city to monitor the health of the residents.
Health workers would also conduct house-to-house surveys to check if the residents had any lung-related issues due to the toxic fumes coming from the burn site.
The Kerala High Court on Friday appointed a monitoring committee in the area, criticising the government by asking how long should the Kochi residents tolerate the smoke.
” … to cater to the needs of the Cochin and Ernakulam cities, we would like to depute a committee consisting of high-ranking officers assisted by their choice of technical staffs together with, for the present, the Secretary, District Legal Services Authority and file a report before this court on the next date of hearing together with the photographs that the committee thinks are necessary for appreciating the wherewithal treatment options at the site,” said the court in its order.
The committee consists of the chief engineer of the local self-government department, the director of the Solid Waste Management Swachhatha Mission, the district collector of Ernakulam, the Joint Chief Environmental Engineer from the regional office of the Kerala State Pollution Control Board, Cochin Municipal Corporation Secretary Babu Abdul Khader, and the secretary of District Legal Services Authority.
The court also ordered the state government to enact a working plan regarding the disposal of solid waste, adding that the waste from Kochi and its surrounding places should be disposed of the next day.
The high court, on 7 March, took suo motu cognizance of the outbreak of fire. The matter will be heard next on 14 March.
Due to the toxic fumes enveloping Kochi for the past nine days, many residents have temporarily moved out of the city to escape the adverse effects that may occur from inhaling the smoke.
Anoop Tomy, an environmental engineer who has worked in Oman’s Waste Management Department for seven years, said he knew the danger his family, including his two-year-old, was in after reports of the fire emerged.
“I immediately told my parents to pack their bags and we left the city. The reason behind this decision was that I did not want to expose my family and my baby to the harmful carcinogenic pollutants in the smoke emanating from the waste plant,” he told PTI.
He knew the unsorted waste at the plant would also contain PVC and clinical waste both of which on combustion release dioxins and furans. These are carcinogenic pollutants, he said.
“These dioxins and furans have the ability to cling on to dust particles, especially the PM2.5, which can directly enter the bloodstream, and you cannot know what effect these may have on the body both in the short and long run,” he said, explaining the reasons that forced him to leave the city.
Just like Tomy, who lives 15 km away from the waste plant, several other families in Kochi also chose to leave the coastal city.
Dr George Mothi Justin, a consultant pulmonologist at the Medical Trust Hospital in Kochi, said these toxins as well as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) — which are present in smoke from burning mixed waste — could cause rapid cell mutations that, on becoming uncontrolled, could lead to cancers.
Inhaling such fumes would also result in the reduction of lung capacity and a decrease in a person’s life span, he added.
“Each day you inhale such toxic fumes or polluted air, it is akin to smoking 10-20 cigarettes per day. That would lead to a reduction in lung capacity and compromising of lung functions which in turn would decrease a person’s life span. These toxins also cause cell mutations and replications and when it becomes uncontrolled, leads to cancer — predominantly lung cancer,” Justin told PTI.
According to the principal and headmistress of Sanskara School, located near Infopark, which is close to the waste plant, many parents informed them they were leaving the city due to the smoke and requested that their children be exempted from attending classes for now.
Actor Sajitha Madathil was also confused when she saw a fog around her apartment complex.
“After the fire broke out, I stepped out onto the balcony one evening and saw the entire area appeared to be covered in fog. I actually thought it was fog until the toxic smell reached me. The smoke also entered my flat which is 5-6 kilometres from the plant,” she told PTI.
Her friend’s three-year-old son fell sick, probably due to the smoke, according to doctors, and the family moved to a farmhouse they had in Thrissur.
(With PTI inputs)
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