The State Level Monitoring Committee (SLMC) on Solid Waste Management has said that it would be an absolute folly on the part of the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (PCB) to give consent to the Kalamassery Municipality to operate its dumping yard located at an ecologically-sensitive area in North Kalamassery.
SLMC Chairman A.V. Ramakrishna Pillai made this observation in his report submitted before the Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on the major fire at the site on January 18.
Terming waste management by the municipality as “deplorable”, Mr. Pillai pointed out that it was likely to continue in the future, unless stringent actions were taken against those responsible. Spread over five acres near the national highway between Ernakulam and Aluva, the dumping yard has heaps of unsegregated plastic waste. Nearly 50% of waste got burnt in the inferno on January 18.
The yard was established in 2010 on the basis of a conditional consent to operate it from the PCB. Most of the conditions remain unfulfilled even after the lapse of so many years in spite of repeated reminders from the board, according to the SLMC report.
The yard is bordered on the east by Thoompungal canal leading to the Periyar, which remains the main source of drinking water for those living in Kochi city and its outskirts.
The canal and the dumping yard are separated by a feeble retaining wall having a height of around two feet. It is not adequate to prevent the flow of leachate from the yard to the waterbody. The yard poses a serious threat to the river, said the report.
The SLMC chief said the main reason for the fire was the unscientific way of storage of inflammable waste materials without confirming to rules.
