Kochi: The ongoing efforts to douse the fire at the solid waste treatment plant at Brahmapuram in Kochi are on the right track, said a US professional.
George Healy, Deputy Chief of the New York City’s Fire Department, noted that the present method adopted in Brahmapuram to put out the fire was suitable and that extreme vigil should be maintained in areas where the fire has already been put out.
The situation in Kochi was assessed by Healy at an online meeting held under the leadership of the District Collector N S K Umesh, State Disaster Management Authority member secretary Shekhar L Kuriakose, and Venkatachalam Anantharaman (IIT, Gandhinagar).
There should be constant monitoring of areas where the fire appears to have been put out as there is the possibility of fire reigniting in those areas.
While the firefighting operations should be concentrated in the smouldering areas where the fire has not been fully put out, precautionary measures should be taken in places where the fire has already been doused. He pointed out that firefighting equipment should always be kept ready to be deployed at any time.
Garbage should not be piled up in areas where the fire has already been doused. Class A foam could be used over the smouldering garbage heaps in the inner reaches of the area where water cannot be transported. At the same time, it would not be useful to create a layer of sand over the garbage.
Drones fixed with thermal (infrared) cameras could be used to detect embers which are not visible on the surface. The areas where the fire has been put out should be dug up deeply to ensure that there are no remaining embers and smoke.
Healy also recommended that those who are involved in firefighting operations should wear face masks.
The meeting came to the conclusion that removing the garbage to another place and soaking it in water is not practical owing to the space constraints at Brahmapuram and the inaccessibility of some of the areas.
The air and water quality in Brahmapuram and neighbouring areas should be checked constantly, the experts advised.
Regional fire officer J S Sujit Kumar, Disaster Management Department Deputy Collector Usha Bindu Mol, and hazard analyst Anjali Parameswaran took part in the meeting.
