Four days after a major fire broke out at the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant located in the Vadavucode-Puthenkurish grama panchayat in Ernakulam district, Kochi city is still under the hold of excessive smoke and smog emanating from the blaze. The district administration has advised residents living near the fire to stay indoors and ordered holidays for school children up to Class 7.
The Brahmapuram waste treatment plant, located about 2 km from Kochi’s Infopark, is spread over an area of 110 acres. Solid waste from areas that come under the Kochi Corporation as well as from several panchayats and municipalities is usually dumped at the plant and treated there. Similar blazes have occurred at the plant almost every summer, ever since it became operational in 2008. However, this year many more parts of the city are under the grip of the smoke and pollution caused by the fire. TNM spoke to local residents to see what has changed and how they are dealing with it.
The area has witnessed heavy smog at night since Saturday, March 4, Deepak* (47), a resident of Edappally in Kochi city told TNM. “When I stepped out to take our dog for a walk at 11 pm on Saturday, the atmosphere was very smoggy, and there was a bad smell in the air. I felt some irritation and suffocation, so I decided not to go for the walk,” he said.
According to Deepak, the air gets smoggy around 10 at night and clears by 7 in the morning. “While my school-going children complained of breathing difficulties, my wife is experiencing irritation in the throat,” he said, adding that this is the first year that smoke from a fire at the Brahmapuram plant has affected the Edappally area.
Residents of Thrikkakara also reported breathing difficulties, dry cough, irritation, and dryness in the eyes. A few others who have experienced similar discomfort in the past week told TNM that they hadn’t associated their symptoms with the smog until more news reports of the fire emerged over the weekend.
TNM spoke to Dr Mujeeb Rahman, consultant pulmonologist at Lakeshore Hospital, Nettoor, on the health effects of the smog. According to him, persons with mild exposure might present with headache, fatigue, irritation in the eyes and throat, slight chest tightness, and suffocation. Those with heavy exposure, on the other hand, could experience severe breathing difficulties, cough, and suffocation.
“Persons with allergies, patients undergoing treatment for other diseases including cardiac disease, asthma, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD), stroke, as well as the elderly, pregnant women, and small children are at high risk from the smog. High risk persons exposed to the smog might be unable to breathe, unable to walk, may fall unconscious, experience weakness and fatigue in the limbs, and might see a drop in oxygen levels. Inhaling smoggy air can result in particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) and PM10 entering the lungs and the bloodstream and cause oxidative injuries to the lungs and blood vessels,” he cautioned.
Particulate Matter 2.5, or PM2.5 as it is commonly called, refers to tiny particles or droplets in the air that are 2.5 microns or less in width, which are able to travel deeply into the respiratory tract and reach the lungs. The presence of PM2.5 is 6-7 times higher than normal now, and can even cause heart attacks in high risk patients, Dr Mujeeb warned.
According to Dr Mujeeb, one precaution people in the vicinity of the smog can take is to stay indoors and reduce exposure, especially at night and early morning when the smog is higher. “Residents should keep their windows and doors shut to minimise inhaling the smog. In the afternoon, when the smog clears, one can open windows and doors to facilitate ventilation. Those living close to the site of the fire should, if possible, relocate till the smoke subsides,” he said. He also advised that anyone stepping out should wear a mask. “If you are wearing normal masks, make sure they fit your face well. If wearing N95 masks, use ones with the valve for easier breathing.” Dr Mujeeb also advised drinking sufficient water and staying hydrated to avoid the health risks that come with the smog.
When TNM spoke to Merlin, the nursing superintendent at MAJ Hospital, Edappally, where the presence of thick smog was reported over the weekend, she said that there has been no increase in cases of breathing difficulties at the hospital. Sources from other hospitals said that it was difficult to differentiate the reason for breathing difficulties in patients, as influenza is also currently doing the rounds.
Akash Geevarghese (26), who lives in the Infopark area which is near the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant, said that visibility was as low as two feet on Saturday night. “The smog was heavy and thick around midnight on Saturday, but it cleared in about an hour’s time. I couldn’t sleep as all the rooms were filled with the smell of burning rubber, and I felt suffocated. Right now, the atmosphere appears slightly misty,” Akash told TNM on Monday afternoon. He added that the fires in the previous years had not produced such severe smoke. “On the first two days when the fire was raging, there was no smoke. The problem is that the water poured on the raging fire didn’t douse it completely, instead the waste in the middle of the heap was left smoking,” he alleged. The state Fire and Rescue Department and Navy helicopters were engaged to douse the fire using water. Experts, however, recommend oxygen intrusion control (blocking oxygen pathways to the waste heap) as the ideal method for dealing with landfill fires.
Rajiv Menon (30), a resident of Tripunithura, said that he has been facing issues related to the smog for four nights now. He said that visibility was often less than 10 metres at night. “Both my parents are slightly asthmatic, they have been complaining of difficulties due to the smog. I too got mild headaches due to the strong smell at night,” he said. Rajiv said that clothes put out to dry overnight smelt of smoke and waste in the morning.
Sunil Mohamed (65), who has resided in Kochi's Kadavanthra for at least four decades, says that this was the first time he was witnessing such an event. “I live on the west side of the plant and can see the entire area under fire from my apartment. While the smog is manageable at night, it is severe during early mornings, we can’t see anything. I used to go for walks regularly, but after I experienced discomfort while breathing I skipped it for three days. The stench is from wires being burnt,” he said, adding that apart from the general health advisory issued by the district administration, no other precautions were being followed by the public.
Sunil also said that the accident shows the existing issue in waste management in the state. “Though collection and segregation of waste has gotten better, the treatment should be managed in a responsible and effective manner,” he added.