Broken wall at Brahmapuram waste plant may cause pollution of nearby river in Kochi

The surrounding wall of the Brahmapuram waste management plant has collapsed in some areas, leading to fears that the waste piled up inside the compound will flow into the Kadambrayar river.
Broken wall at Brahmapuram waste plant may cause pollution of nearby river in Kochi
Broken wall at Brahmapuram waste plant may cause pollution of nearby river in Kochi
Written by:

The southwest monsoon has finally begun on the Kerala coast and as heavy rainfall is expected in the coming days, concerns have been raised over the Brahmapuram waste management plant in Kochi. Experts say that the plant, which is located beside Kadambrayar, may pollute the backwater because of the waste dumped at Brahmapuram.

In parts adjacent to Kadambrayar, the compound wall of Brahmapuram waste management plant has collapsed. This has raised concerns that the already polluted water body stretch will be once again subjected to severe pollution as there is high chance that waste will flow directly into the stream during the monsoon showers.

This comes after existing allegations that leachate, the percolated liquid from solid waste from the plant, is flowing into Kadambrayar and polluting the water.

"Two weeks earlier, while I was visiting the area, we could see that parts of the compound wall had fallen off. As the monsoon starts, this will eventually fall into Kadambrayar. A large portion of the compound wall is broken, it does not look like it has fallen on its own" environmental activist CR Neelakandan told TNM.

Kadambrayar is listed as one of the most ‘polluted river stretches’ in the country by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The ‘river stretches for restoration of water quality’ in the country released by CPCB in 2018 has listed the Manakkakadavu to Brahmapuram stretch of Kadambrayar as 'Priority 4'.

As per CPCB, water bodies between 6-10 mg/l Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) is included in the Priority 4 category. The BOD of Kadambrayar stretch is 5.9 to 6.4.

The condition of water body is also an issue for people living in the area. “During monsoon, houses on the bank of Kadambrayar get inundated with this polluted water and it is always a concern,” said Velayudhan PK, Vadavucode-Puthencruz Panchayat president.

Meanwhile, officials of the Kochi Corporation remain silent on the issue of the broken compound wall.

The officials only noted that provisions have been made to manage leachate from the plant. “We have made provisions to collect the leachate and transport it to the sewage plant that is nearby. A small canal is dug near the waste piles to collect leachate to one larger area. From there, tanker lorries transport it to septage plant,” an official told TNM.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The News Minute
www.thenewsminute.com