With the monsoon set to hit the city by May-end, fears about the stability of the solid waste treatment plant at Brahmapuram loom large.
Besides Kochi city, a few other neighbouring municipalities also depend on the plant for processing refuse collected from their areas.
Recently, a portion of the plant building had collapsed. “It is feared that the dilapidated building may not survive the monsoon season, thus affecting waste management,” said A.A. Baiju, the contractor runs the plant for the Kochi Corporation.
“Though the pathetic condition of the plant was brought to the attention of the civic authorities a number of times, they have not cared to repair the structure. A risky situation exists at the plant site where at least 25 workers will be there in a shift. If civic authorities fail to repair the plant building, the functioning of the plant will have to be suspended,” said Mr. Baiju.
The shutting down of the plant would push the city to a crisis during the monsoon and it could have serious repercussions on public health, he said.
The Brahmapuram plant was the first project to be completed in the city using the funds released by the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). A portion of the plant sank soon after its commissioning as it was built on reclaimed land. There were also reports that the plant was constructed without allowing enough time for the land to consolidate.
Officials of the Kochi Corporation had recently visited the plant site following complaints about the safety of the building.
The steering committee of the Kochi Corporation had suggested that the local body carry out repair works of the plant immediately, said T.K. Ashraf, chairman of the health standing committee of the corporation.
As an immediate step, the heavy metal roofing sheets would be replaced with plastic sheets in some parts of the building. The local body was not in favour of spending much on the dilapidated structure.
