Kochi: The fire that broke out at the solid waste plant in Brahmapuram has been brought under control, Kerala Industries Minster P Rajeeve said on Sunday. A special coordination committee will be formed to analyse the situation, he added.
“The fire is under control now. It could be fully doused by evening,” he told reporters after a high-level meeting with the health minister, Ernakulam district collector, the city mayor and other officials on Sunday.
The minister added that the District Collector Dr Renu Raj will make alternative arrangements, with the help of the Kochi Municipal Corporation, for waste collection soon. The collection of garbage was suspended temporarily in Kochi due to the massive fire which broke out at the waste plant on Thursday.
The Corporation will also make sure that water flow is available to the Fire and Rescue Services throughout for putting out such fires in the future. Rajeeve said that after a detailed discussion, the administration has decided to address various issues surrounding waste treatment to avoid the recurrence of such incidents. Efforts will be taken to improve road connectivity to the plant.
Meanwhile, the minister said residents of the region may step out of their homes if they are not asthmatic. The district administration had asked residents to stay inside their homes due to the elevated pollution levels on Saturday.
Health Minister Veena George also directed residents to wear masks at all times till the smoke subsides and asked firefighters, mediapersons and others visiting the Brahmapuram area to wear N95 masks.
Veena George also said hospital records of the city do not indicate any medical cases due to the smoke.
Nevertheless, arrangements, like dedicated beds for those affected by the smoke generated due to the fire, have been made in all government hospitals and medical colleges in the city.
Besides, two oxygen parlours and a round the clock medical team of doctors have been put in place in Brahmapuram.
Regarding the decisions taken in the meeting, Rajeeve said that all stakeholders were of the view that there needs to be a coordinated effort to deal with such situations.
In lieu of that, it was decided to put in place a system comprising a coordination committee of representatives from the Kochi Corporation, fire services, police, health services, electricity board and fire safety officials of Bharat Petroleum and CIAL.
Also, it was decided in the meeting that a panel comprising officials of the corporation and the panchayat, where the waste plant is set up, and including the District Collector and the local MLA will meet every three months to discuss problems in that area.
After the prevailing issue is resolved, the corporation will also take urgent steps to ensure proper road connectivity to the area -- another decision taken in the meeting according to Rajeeve.
The issue of bio-mining, which has not been taking place at the waste plant for some time, will be tackled by Local Self Government Minister M B Rajesh.
Earlier in the day, a fire officer engaged in the fire-fighting at the waste plant said it was taking time to quell the flames as there were layers of plastic underneath which got heated up and prevented the fire at the top from cooling down.
In addition to all these, the phosgene gas generated by the fire is leading to nausea, dizziness among the firefighters which also affected operations.
(With PTI inputs.)
