Rains mar waste disposal

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Though the summer showers brought the mercury down in the city, they have adversely affected the collection and dumping of garbage at the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant.

The vehicles carrying garbage are unable to enter the plant as the area is filled with mud and is waterlogged.

The internal roads within the compound have not been strengthened and re-surfaced.

In the marshy compound, tonnes of untreated garbage have piled up, polluting the water bodies in the area nearby, including the river Kadambrayar, a major fresh water source of the district.

The Kochi Corporation currently dumps nearly 70 loads of untreated waste at Brahmapuram every day.

If the inside roads have not been re-surfaced or tarred, garbage movement and dumping at Brahmapuram will be badly hit during the monsoon.

“The roads within the plant premises are covered in mud and slush. Besides, waste water from the garbage makes the road totally unmotorable.

When it rains heavily during monsoon, it will be impossible to transport garbage to the plant site,” said a lorry driver.

However, Soumini Jain, chairperson of corporation’s works standing committee said that the road strengthening work at the Brahmapuram site was progressing and can be completed before the monsoon.

“The road from the entrance to the plant and the road surrounding the plant are being levelled and strengthened. The roads will not be tarred now as a new modern plant is coming up near the site,” she said.

Meanwhile, residents are apprehensive over the increased waste water discharge from the heaps of wet waste.

“The situation will be worse in monsoon with the heavy discharge from the wet waste to the water bodies,” said Abdul Basheer, convener of the Malinya Nikshepa Virudha Samara Samithi. “If the authorities fail to act, we will have to face serious problems including health calamities.”