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The worsening air quality situation prompted the Kochi corporation authorities to seek the help of the Indian Navy to douse the fire.
A huge fire that broke out at the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant two days ago. (Twitter)
Thick smoke hung over parts of Kerala’s commercial capital, Kochi, early on Saturday, 4 March, after the civil authorities failed to douse a huge fire that broke out at the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant two days ago, official sources said.
The worsening air quality situation in the coastal city prompted the Kochi corporation authorities to seek the help of the Indian Navy to douse the fire.
In a tweet, a Defence spokesperson said that the Navy was committed to extending all possible help to bring the situation under control.
“@indiannavy joins the firefighting efforts to douse the massive #fire at #Brahmapuram WasteTreatmentPlant along with Govt. of #Kerala. With its skilled personnel & specialised eqpt. @IN_HQSNC is committed to extending all possible asst. to bring the situation under control,” the tweet read.
@indiannavy joins the firefighting efforts to douse the massive #fire at #Brahmapuram WasteTreatmentPlant along with Govt.of #Kerala.
With its skilled personnel & specialised eqpt. @IN_HQSNC is committed to extending all possible asst. to bring the situation under control. pic.twitter.com/KzeDiPuJdD— PRO Defence Kochi (@DefencePROkochi) March 4, 2023
Meanwhile, Ernakulam district administration said that the fire in the plastic waste treatment plant is expected to be brought under control soon.
Ernakulam District Collector Dr Renu Raj said that the help of the Air Force would be sought too to douse the fire, if the civil administration fails to manage the situation today.
In a video message, the district collector said efforts are on to douse the fire and said there was no need for any panic.
The district administration, through the State Disaster Management Authority, has held discussions with the Air Force in this regard, officials said.
In addition to defence firetenders on ground, aerial #firefighting using Large Area Aerial Liquid Dispersal Eqpt (LAALDE) by naval #ALH undertaken.More than 5000 litres of water sprayed in the active fire zones. Rescue efforts in progress. pic.twitter.com/SBZ8Q4csE0
— Southern Naval Command (@IN_HQSNC) March 4, 2023
Ranjit Thampy, a Kochi resident, said that toxic smoke was affecting the health of the people living in the city and its neighbourhood.
In a Facebook post, he claimed that visibility was very poor in parts of Kochi on Saturday morning and that there was a bad smell too.
“People are forced to breathe toxic air. Today morning it’s really bad and pathetic,” Thampy said in the post.
The fire broke out in the waste dumped at the plant on Thursday. Officials said such incidents happen every year around this time due to the extreme heat.
(Disclaimer: The headline, subheads, and intro of this report along with the photos may have been reworked by South First. The rest of the content is from a syndicated feed, and has been edited for style.)
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