Kochi, the port city of Kerala has become a ‘gas chamber’ due to the toxic smoke emerging from the fire at Brahmapuram solid waste plant, the Kerala High Court said on Tuesday as it took suo motu cognizance of the outbreak of fire on March 2 at landfill used by the Kochi Corporation as a dump for the city’s domestic waste.
A Divisional bench comprising Justices SV Bhatti and Basant Balaji stressing the need for implementation of rules in the state holistically said, “The State of Kerala claims to be number one in literacy. The bench would also like to know if Kerala would become number one in protecting the environment and implementing solid waste management and handling rules.”
Brahmapuram Fire | Water Bodies Getting Converted Into Dump Sites, Proper Implementation Of Solid Waste Management Rules Necessary: Kerala High Court
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) March 7, 2023
Read more: https://t.co/XIBAc3uw0e#keralahighcourt #wastemanagement #water #BrahmapuramFire pic.twitter.com/hf2MM5gaXs
The bench noted that there are a large number of water bodies in the state which have been converted into dump sites. Justice Bhatti spoke of the “pathetic woes of the water bodies which had been turned to waste dumping sites” in a state known for its backwater ecosystems.
The bench also summoned the Secretary of the Kochi Corporation, the District Collector Ernakulam, and the chairman of the Kerala Pollution Control Board (KPCB).
The bench asked a number of questions in the post-lunch session, such as if the fire was ‘man-made’, whether the plant was routinely inspected, and what procedures were taken to prevent unlawful waste dumping.
Also, the KPCB’s documents were described as being “far from reality” by the bench. In addition, the court declared that it would see to it that Kochi’s waste management is streamlined by June 6.
This comes after Justice Devan Ramachandran wrote a letter to the Chief Justice seeking High Court’s intervention in the matter. The Kerala HC, however, converted it into a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL).
‘Backdoor deals’ and corruption
Brahmapuram waste treatment plant carries out three major works, bio-mining of legacy waste, windrow composting of daily waste, and plastic waste segregation. The recent fire outbreak has exposed the deep-rooted corruption and influence of political parties in granting contracts to their favourites for waste treatment plant-related projects.
Officials from Kochi Corporation alleged that they were under intense pressure to give approval to the Rs 54-crore bio-mining project proposed by Bengaluru-based Zonta Infratech. Councilor CA Shakeer stated that Zonta had not undertaken any biomining-related activities at the site, as reported by The New Indian Express.
After biomining, the company was tasked with removing the Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) from the site in accordance with the contract. Instead, Zonta was given permission by the government to store RDF on the 20 acres of property it had leased to Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation Ltd. (KSIDC) so that it could construct a waste-to-energy facility. Without performing any work, the corporation had to pay roughly Rs. 11–12 crores for the use of the site’s power. “All they’ve done is move the heap of legacy waste to another location, bury it underground, or burn it,” Shakeer told The New Indian Express.
Notably, in order to extract plastic, metal, glass, combustibles, other fine debris, and soil from landfills for recycling, a process called bio-mining is used.
Reportedly, Rajkumar Chellappan, the son-in-law of former LDF convener Vaikom Viswan, is a partner in Zonta Infratech. Zonta further gave a subcontract worth Rs 17 crore to a firm related to a senior Congress leader.
The state government assigned KSIDC to tender the bio-mining task in accordance with the Disaster Management Act Provision. Zonta was awarded the contract by KSIDC, and Kochi Corporation served as the implementing organization.
An official stated that the contract required the Corporation to pay 15% when each 25% of the land was reclaimed. After Zonta submitted the file, the corporation informed the government in writing that the work was unsatisfactory and that it would not be paying the requested sum. After that, the chief secretary summoned a meeting and asked KSIDC for an explanation, which they provided in favour of Zonta.
The LSGD Minister MB Rajesh called a meeting and instructed the corporation to pay 50% of the 15% fee which amounted to Rs 4 crore to the company.
According to Tony Chammany, former Mayor of Kochi, Zonta only has expertise with capping projects, whereas a company must have experience implementing bio-mining projects worth at least Rs 10 crore to be eligible to participate in the tender. Chammany while speaking to BOOM Live claimed that Zonta was given the contract because “the daughter of a prominent CPM leader, had stakes in it.”
Notably, the Kochi Corporation was recently fined Rs. 1.8 crore by the Kerala State Pollution Control Board for violating the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016.
Brahmapuram Waste Plant fire rocks Kerala Assembly
Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the State assembly VD Satheeshan on Wednesday demanded that the Kerala government should declare a health emergency following the fire that broke out at Brahmapuram Waste Plant, claiming that the toxic smoke from the waste mound fire has created serious health problems for the people living in the vicinity.
As reported by ANI, smoke from the fire at the solid waste treatment plant of the Kochi Corporation that started on March 2 spread to the surrounding region and can pose hazardous health issues the opposition leader said. Satheesan alleged that the government was not taking action in the matter.
The LoP claimed that various departments including health, local self-government, and disaster management were inactive at Brahmapuram.
“The government should take action and effective implementation to cut the fire. But they are not taking any action. The LSGD, the health department, the disaster management wing, and the fire force are not taking sufficient action. The fire force is doing a lot of work but has been unable to douse the fire and had to seek help from the central government also. Otherwise, it will cause serious issues,” Satheeshan said.
The state Minister for Local Self Government Institutions MB Rajesh had in the Assembly said that that the situation at Brahmapuram was under control and there was no cause for concern or panic.
However, Satheesan said that the government should declare a health emergency and take necessary steps in this regard. According to him, this is a clear case of corruption and the corrupt contractors are behind this. He demanded action against the corrupt people also.
Taking to Twitter, Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs, V Muraleedharan slammed the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government for remaining ‘missing’ while the city of Kochi is choking.
“People can’t breath. Kids & the elderly are suffocating. Waste collection put on hold. Water streams shut. Kochi is Choking! @pinarayivijayan Missing. Shame! @CPIMKerala & DFYI’s reps who protested opp. Brazil Embassy for Amazon Fire are shamelessly ignoring #Brahmapuram,” V Muraleedharan tweeted.
People cant breath
— V Muraleedharan / വി മുരളീധരൻ (@VMBJP) March 9, 2023
Kids & the elderly are suffocating
Waste collection put on hold
Water streams shut
Kochi is Choking ! @pinarayivijayan Missing. Shame!@CPIMKerala & DFYI’s reps who protested opp. Brazil Embassy for Amazon Fire are shamelessly ignoring #Brahmapuram pic.twitter.com/fu209D1rPP
Meanwhile, the Kerala government in a damage control move on Wednesday transferred Renu Raj, the district collector, Ernakulam, and appointed her to the Wayanad district; she will be succeeded by NSK Umesh, a chief secretary’s staff officer.
Notably, to put out the fires at the waste plant, thirty fire tenders, two Navy helicopters, and more than 120 firefighters were deployed. Cochin Port Trust, Fertilizers and Chemicals Travancore, Bharat Petroleum, and Cochin International Airport all contributed about 20 firefighting units to the operation. In order to put out the fires, Kadambrayar river water was used. The active fire zones received more than 5,000 liters of water, which helped put out the fire.
