The Kochi Corporation was yet to fully comply with the recommendations on avoiding major fire breakouts at its solid waste dump yard in Brahmapuram, an assessment made by the fire department has revealed.
The recommendations were given immediately after the major fire at the site on February 23 this year. Some of the key steps proposed by the department included the setting up of permanent fire hydrant, fire belt, heavy duty pump sets and an overhead water storage tank of adequate capacity.
The assessment made by department officials said that the civic body had installed a temporary pump and a motor set and the remaining recommendations were pending. A senior official in the district said that the most important recommendation was to set up a permanent hydrant system at the plant. This was made after firefighters underwent a tough time dousing the two major blazes reported at the site this year.
Pillar fire hydrants that ensure pressurised water supply are crucial in sites like Brahmapuram considering the extent to which fire can spread in a short span of time.
Ring main design
The department had also suggested a ring main design for effective distribution of water in an emergency. Ring main refers to a primary loop that is connected to the pumps so that there are two routes for water to flow in case one side gets blocked.
The National Green Tribunal had earlier pointed out that the garbage heaps spread across 16 acres had been posing threat to people, with recurrent fire outbreaks. Though known as Brahmapuram waste management plant, it had only been acting as a large garbage dump for many years, it said. Corporation authorities had informed the State Level Monitoring Committee on Solid Waste that it had set up six-metre-wide roads at the site for easy access for fire engines. The expertise of the Fire Department was sought for installing firefighting mechanisms as suggested by the committee, they said.
