Heaps of plastic at the waste disposal facility at Kakkanand used by the Thrikkakara municipality have given rise to some anxiety among people in the area, who have expressed concern that a Brahmapuram-like situation was fast developing in their neighbourhood.
Fire outbreaks at the Brahampuram waste disposal facility of the Kochi Corporation had given rise to grave concerns regarding the health of the people in the vicinity. Now, residents living near Thrikkakara municipality’s waste disposal facility at Kakkanad have aired the same views and concerns.
However, municipal vice chairman K.T. Eldho has dismissed those as unfounded fears. He claimed that plastic was being segregated and collected by municipal workers.
The collected plastic was being stored at the waste disposal facility near the municipal office, and it was being cleared on a weekly basis by a contractor engaged by the civic body. The plastic waste collected by the municipal workers was being sent to a facility for recycling, he said.
An official of the municipality expressed the same opinion, stating that plastic was being segregated by residents in 43 wards in the municipality. The total volume of plastic collected in the municipality was between two and three tonnes a month, said the official.
Thrikkakara Municipal Cooperative Hospital president M.P. Sukumaran Nair expressed concern about the possibility of a fire breaking out at the waste disposal facility. The hospital is located close to the facility and a fire there could affect the health of hundreds of residents.
Public protest
Salim Kunnumpuram of the Thrikkakara Residents’ Association said residents had submitted a complaint with the municipal authorities regarding the waste disposal facility and the danger posed by the plastic collection. The residents had even conducted a public protest demanding proper handling of the waste materials, said Mr. Salim.
Meanwhile, the municipal official said the civic body would conduct a survey of the area to assess the number of households and institutions. The total waste generated in the municipality amounts to seven or eight tonnes per day. The biodegradable waste was sent to the Brahmapuram facility while plastic was segregated and given to the contracted company, said the official. There are an estimated 60,000 households and institutions in the municipal area.