Brahmapuram fire incident: Kerala govt to implement action plan on war-footing

As anxiety regarding the toxic smoke generated from the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant continues to haunt local residents here, the Kerala government on Friday said there is no need to panic in this port city as 80 per cent of the fire has been doused now.

After visiting the waste plant area, where a massive fire broke out last week, Industries Minister P Rajeeve and Local Self-Government Minister M B Rajesh told reporters here that an action plan would be implemented on war footing to ensure that such incidents would not happen anymore in the State.

Under the 82-days-long action plan, stringent measures would be taken for the source-level management of bio-degradable waste and for the door-to-door collection of non-biodegradable waste in the State, Rajesh said.

War-rooms would be opened at the Collectorates and the local bodies in this regard, he said adding the action plan, prepared earlier to be implemented in one year, would be executed in 82 days taking into account the Brahmapuram incident.

''Urgent steps will be taken to ensure that Brahmapuram incident is not repeated anywhere in the State. The action plan will be implemented on a time-bound manner,'' he said.

Rajeeve said the government is prepared to face any situation and the health experts and the Indian Medical Associaation (IMA) are of the view that generally there is nothing to be panic as of now.

Facilities including ICUs are ready in hospitals and control rooms are opened in general hospital and the government medical college, he said.

Besides state-run hospitals, private medical facilities have also expressed willingness to organise health camps, the Minister added.

''We do not think that there is any circumstance of concern right now. The government has made use of all possible methods...A decision has already been taken not to send any more plastic waste to Brahmapuram,'' he added.

A total of 678 people including fire force personnel and police have so far sought treatment for various uneasinesses, Rajeeve said adding that two of them were given ICU support and their condition is stable as of now.

The fire had broken out at the waste plant on March 2 and thereafter, the air quality in Kochi and neighbouring municipalities and gram panchayats had worsened as they were engulfed in the dense smoke billowing from the garbage dump.

According to local body officials, such incidents of fire happen every year around this time due to the extreme heat.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)