Brahmapuram fire: Residents asked to stay indoors as smoke spreads to more regions

Kochi: Local authorities continued to battle the raging fire at the Brahmapuram waste plant here on Sunday three days after it started.

The irritating smoke generated from the plant has forced the state government to urge the people of its neighbourhood to stay indoors on Sunday as a precaution against the unhealthy smog.

Meanwhile, smoke spread to more regions of Kochi on Sunday morning. Maradu, Kumbalam regions were engulfed in dense smog. In Vytilla, commuting proved cumbersome due to low visibility.

A high-level meeting comprising Health Minister Veena George, Industries Minister P Rajeeve, District Collector, Mayor and other officials will be convened on Sunday to assess the situation and discuss further measures.

Low air quality

Ernakulam district Collector Dr Renu Raj said the efforts are on to douse the fire and expressed hope that the situation could be brought under control by Sunday evening.

Amid concerns over the worsening air quality in Kochi, the collector appealed to the people to stay home on Sunday to protect themselves from the smoke emanating from the waste plant.

"Do not open non-essential establishments. More oxygen kiosks will be set up in Brahmapuram," she said.

"The administration is fully prepared to tackle any sort of health emergency arising out of the current situation", Renu Raj told reporters after attending a high-level meeting convened by state Chief Secretary V P Joy and attended by officials of the various departments.

The air quality in Kochi has plummeted due to the particulate matter pollution.

According to the data on the Kerala Polliution Control Board website, the PM 2.5 and PM 10 particulates' level in the air in Kochi were way above the prescribed standards.
The level of PM 2.5, tiny particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter that can enter deep into the lungs and even the bloodstream, was found to be 279.58 ug/m3, at around 8.30 AM today, as against the normal standard of 60.
PM 10, particles with diameter less than 10 micrometres, level were recorded at 324.65 as against a normal of 100.

According to reports, the Pollution Control Board has imposed a fine of Rs 1.8 crore on the Kochi Municipal Coporation for the fire and the huge environmental impact from it.

Zone-wise firefighting

The authorities have adopted a strategy of carrying out firefighting exercises by dividing the plant into six zones. The Fire and Rescue Services have deployed its units in four zones while the remaining two are being handled by units from the Navy and Cochin Refinery.

At the meeting, it was also decided to deploy more fire tenders to douse the blaze, the Collector said.

"Currently, 20 fire tenders are deployed at the site. Directions have been issued to deploy additional fire tenders from the Cochin Port Trust and other Public Sector Units in the area to bring the situation under control. Besides, water will be pumped from the nearby river using powerful motors," the Collector said.

Spelling out the steps taken by the administration to deal with the situation, the Collector said the spraying of water using a helicopter to douse the fire did not yield desired result due to the "smouldering fire" --burning slowly with smoke but without flames-- in the plastic waste mount and it has been put on hold for the time being.

At the meeting, the Chief Secretary directed the Kochi City Police Commissioner to probe the reasons behind the fire at the plant.

The fire broke out in the waste dumped at the plant on Thursday.

Earlier, the worsening air quality situation in the coastal city prompted the Kochi Corporation authorities to seek the help of the Indian Navy to douse the fire.

In a tweet, a Defence spokesperson said the Navy was committed to extending all possible help to bring the situation under control.

Naval Fire Fighting Services were immediately pressed into action on Friday and Naval fire tenders were deployed at the site to augment the efforts of the local administration, he said.

In a statement, the Defence spokesman later said an aerial recce by a Naval helicopter was undertaken to assess the extent of fire and additional firefighting teams and resources have been activated to augment the efforts of the district administration.

Continuing with the rescue efforts, aerial fire fighting was undertaken on Saturday and a Naval ALH (Advanced Light Helicopter) of INS Garuda was deployed with Large Area Aerial Liquid Dispersion Equipment (LAALDE) to drop water buckets on the affected areas.

"More than 5,000 litres of water have been sprayed in the active fire zones. All efforts are in progress with the local agencies and authorities to control the spread of fire", it said.