The monitoring committee appointed by the High Court to assess the situation at Brahmapuram visited the garbage dumping site on Saturday and assessed the functoning of the plant. The committee has the District Collector, Chief Engineer of the Local Self-Government department, Suchitwa Mission Director, Pollution Control Board Joint Chief Environmental Engineer, Kochi Corporation Secretary, and the District Legal Services Authority Secretary as members.
District Collector N.S.K. Umesh said that around 90% of smoke could be put out. Excavator operations, Fire and Rescue Services officials, Corporation employees, and Civil Defence volunteers are working efficiently. Of the seven sectors, fire in five have been put out, and the methods adopted are globally accepted, said the Collector. The committee will submit its report to the High Court.
Health survey
The health survey planned against the backdrop of the fire outbreak at Brahmapuram will get under way on March 14. Health workers will visit individual homes and identify those who developed problems from inhaling the smoke and ensure that they get expert treatment, said Health Minister Veena George. Medical camps will also be held to address people’s anxieties in this regard. Mobile units will also be pressed into service.
Services of specialist doctors at the Government Medical College in Ernakulam will be made available at the health centre in Kakkanad. All urban health centres will have breathe clinics for conduct of pulmonary function test. Children and those with other illnesses would do well to wear masks while venturing out, the Minister said, cautioning people against circulating baseless information.
Ms. George also said that air quality monitoring devices would be installed in selected hospitals in Ernakulam as part of the One Health Project. This would help identify possibilities of people falling sick and then preventive measures could be taken, she said.
