Fire at Brahmapuram waste treatment plant leaves residents panic-stricken

KOCHI: A major fire raged for several hours at Brahmapuram waste treatment plant triggering panic among residents on Tuesday. Firefighters could bring the blaze under control only after battling it for nearly three-and-a-half hours.

According to eyewitnesses, it was around 3 pm the smoke spread across Brahmapuram when workers of the plant realised there was a blaze. “Seeing the smoke, we rushed to the place and informed the employees at the waste treatment plant. By the time, the fire had spread several metres towards the eastern side. As the fire was spreading rapidly, we informed the Fire and Rescue Service Station who reached the spot by 3.30 pm. It was only by 6 pm the fire was brought under control. Luckily the wind was blowing from the western side. If the wind blew from the opposite side, the fire would have engulfed the entire plant within hours,” Mohammad Iqbal, a local resident, said.

The Fire and Rescue Service officials said eight fire tenders from various fire stations were sent for dousing the fire. “Since the waste pile up at a corner of the plant caught fire, it was not easy for the fire tenders to reach there. Three earth moving machines were brought to the place to make way for fire tenders to reach the place. Around 50 firefighters were engaged in the fire-dousing operation,” an officer involved in the fire-dousing operation said.

The firefighters have ruled out possibilities of fire spreading from a short circuit. “Small fire incidents are usual here. This time the fire broke out at a corner of the plant and the worker did not notice it initially. From our preliminary assessment, the electrical short circuit cannot be a reason for the fire,” the official said.

District Collector K Mohammed Y Safirulla who visited the plant ruled out the possibility of anyone purposefully setting the fire. “From the preliminary assessment, we do not think anyone has set the fire. Often small fire incidents are common at the plant. The new waste to energy plant is the permanent solution before us now,” he said.  

Meanwhile, Mayor Soumini Jain said the situation is under control. “The moment we heard about the fire we immediately alerted the Fire and Rescue Services team, the District Collector and the Health wing of Kochi Corporation. Within minutes they reached the spot and took the necessary steps to douse the fire,” she said.

Irked by constant fire incident, several residents gathered in front of the waste treatment plant.
“We strongly suspect the workers have torched the plastic waste,” said Paulose, another resident.  
According to the residents, there are more than 15,000 students in more than 10 schools in and around the plant. Similarly, more than 50,000 employees working in Infopark have to suffer from the stench daily.
“The NGT had ordered waste should be segregated properly and treated. However, workers are burning the entire waste that is dumped here every day. The functioning of the plant is not proper,” another resident alleged.