The unscientific management of waste at the dump site of the Kochi Corporation in Brahmapuram has been exposed again following the fire incident early morning on Monday.
The Hindu had reported on March 4 that the accumulation of refuse derived fuel (RDF) after biomining of legacy waste at the dumping yard remained a concern.
The initial inference by the surveillance team of the State Pollution Control Board, which visited the site on Monday, revealed that the fire may have started off from the temporary shed storing the RDF. It later spread to the heaps of legacy waste at the site.
The refuse derived fuel should have been removed from the site without delay. The technical committee overseeing the biomining work had asked for a clear plan for the removal of the RDF.
It was not complied with as per the findings of the board. Contractors have to be empanelled for the transportation of the recovered plastic to cement plants after bailing for incineration.
The inert waste should have been used for road construction. The Corporation too failed to comply with the norms as it failed to apply for authorisation from the board to carry out biomining.
Despite repeated fires causing ecological damage, the Pollution Control Board has also failed to act tough against the Corporation. The legal process to recover the about ₹14-crore environment compensation for the failure to comply with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 has been delayed for long.
The board did not even sent a notice to the Corporation authorities after the major fire incident on January 18. On Monday, the board authorities came up with their oft-repeated position that a detailed report will be submitted before the State Level Monitoring Committee on Solid Waste Management appointed by the National Green Tribunal.
