The State Level Monitoring Committee (SLMC) on Solid Waste Management has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that there has been no improvement in the condition of the dumping yard of the Kochi Corporation at Brahmapuram.
The committee made the observation in its report on the fire outbreak at the yard on January 18 submitted before the Southern Bench of the tribunal.
“During my inspection on January 20, water hydrants were seen operational, and no fire or smoke was observed. There is no change in the general condition of the entire dumping yard, which was detailed out in my previous report dated July 28, 2021,” said A.V. Ramakrishna Pillai, Chairman of the SLMC.
The report said that solid waste dumping was spread over 110 acres, and the land was being set aside for disposal of bio-degradable, non-biodegradable and septage waste. Huge heaps of legacy waste deposits are a constant phenomenon at the yard, which is under the control of the Kochi Corporation.
It is given to understand that the corporation had recently placed a proposal for bio-mining, which has begun at the entrance to the yard using certain machinery. However, the process is going on at a low pace, though the old trommel machines also are operational.
The previous proposal for a waste-to-energy plant has not materialised till date. The septage treatment plant remains closed for repair. As usual, plastic waste was found dumped in the open in the south-eastern side as well as at the entrance. There are no sufficient facilities to process plastic waste. There is a shed, which is not capable of accommodating the entire plastic waste coming to the yard, the report said.
The SLMC chief said that the plastic shredding machine installed at the site was found kept idle like before. The fire on January 18 was in the area where old plastic materials were kept as heaps. This is at the southern boundary of the yard. The area is bordered on the south by a tributary of the Chithrapuzha, he said.
The report said that fire personnel were able to douse the flames during the same night itself. However, it is learnt that there was emission of heavy smoke due to burning of plastic. The yard had witnessed similar fire incidents in 2019, 2020, and 2021, it added.
It recalled that a study was conducted by the National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), Thiruvananthapuram, after the fire breakout in 2019. The dioxin level was found to be dangerously high.
