Kochi: The recent fire at the Brahmapuram solid waste plant was not deliberate, a forensic report has stated.
The report said that that the waste dump caught fire from below due to the rapid rise in temperatures. The fire did not start from the top layers.
The fire started from the lower layers after anaerobic digestion of the waste produced inflammable gases like methane. This is common in huge dump-yards like Brahmapuram, the report said.
Anaerobic digestion is a process through which bacteria break down organic matter—such as animal manure, wastewater biosolids, and food wastes—in the absence of oxygen.
The forensic team also found other items which could fuel the fire like aerosal cans, sanitiser bottles at the site.
Opposition Leader VD Satheesan has slammed the report and called it a document scripted by the LDF government.
The forensic team inspected the 40-acre site on March 11 after the fire which started on March 2 was doused. The police had also clarified earlier that there was a significant temperature difference between the different layers at the landfill.
