Breathless in Kochi

KOCHI: Its greenery and clean living conditions were one thing Kochi was always proud of. But since last year, this is starting to look like a luxury. In one year, the city has had to live through multiple cases of pollution.

In 2019, there were two fires at the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant—in February and March. Just two months into 2020, there have already been two incidents of garbage dump yards catching fire in the same week—at Brahmapuram and Kalamassery.

It took 11 fire tenders from 10 units, five high-pressure water pumps, eight earthmovers, water tankers and nearly 100 firefighters to douse the fire that started at Brahmapuram.According to reports from the PCB, Particulate matter (PM) levels — both PM10 and PM2.5 increased at alarming rates post the fire.

Ever since the fire last February, the corporation officials have been crying sabotage and demanding investigation into the issue, without actually addressing the root cause of it, claims A V Ramakrishna Pillai, chairman of the State Level Monitoring Committee (SLMC), constituted by the National Green Tribunal. He adds that despite multiple recommendations and suggestions given over the past year, the corporation has done very little to solve the issue.

“We had asked them to increase accessibility to the area, which is the only thing they seem to have done by constructing a road. The committee asked them to constitute an in-house firefighting facility—with enough manpower and water storage capacity to ensure quick dousing of fires. I was at the facility on Tuesday, right before the fire, following up on the same. But those in charge were giving me the same excuses, of yet having to call the tender and other technicalities,” he says.

The unfortunate fact, in this entire gamble is that common people are bearing the brunt of administration’s laxity.“All of this boils down to just one thing—unscientific waste management. Brahmapuram cannot be called a plant, it is an unscientific dumping yard. Instead of removing the waste that is piling up and causing the fire, the corporation is just starting conspiracies and wasting time,” adds  Ramakrishna Pillai.Minimol K L, former chairperson of the corporation’s Health Standing Committee, has the same opinion.

“The fires started as I was stepping out, and there were talks of sabotage. I told them then that it is not a planned act anyone would do. There is plenty of plastic waste at the yard that heats up in summer and catches fire. With the temperature soaring, it is happening as early as February now. While I was spearheading the team, we made a move to remove the excess waste, but that got nowhere,” she says.
Ramakrishna Pillai also lashed out at the attitude of the corporation that is counting on the new waste to energy plant that is expected to come up in 2021, instead of taking care of this public health emergency.
“The last time I spoke to them, they said the plant just received clearance. I don’t know when it will be operational. How can the corporation just wait around for that, and endanger the health of city residents?” he asks.

Breathing in danger
According to Dr Paramez A R, the consultant of pulmonology division at KIMS Hospital,  Kochi, these pollutants are slow poison.
 “Sulphites, nitrates, monoxides and many toxins are released when plastic waste burns. People with COPD, asthma, cardiac disorders, elderly and infants are in deep and immediate risk to life if they
inhale it for a long time,” he says.
The specialist adds that the real problem, however, starts only after four or five days.
“After last year’s fire, we had cases of secondary lung infection, cardiac problems and pneumonia in the following weeks. The effects of such toxins can even cause problems in healthy members of the society,” he says.