Toxic fumes continued to engulf Kochi on Sunday too after the fire that broke out at the waste treatment plant near the city limits on Friday, couldn't be contained. The smoke from the burning plastic refuse has spread to a radius of more than 10 km, leaving residents struggling to breathe.
The district administration instructed people to stay at home on Sunday as 25 fire-fighting units, which included tenders from the nearby Thrissur, Kottayam and Idukki districts as well as those of the Indian Navy and Bharat Petroleum, battled the blaze.
The heavy smoke cover caused the air quality in parts of Kochi to plunge. The data from the Kerala Pollution Control Board website said the PM 2.5 and PM 10 particulate levels in the air in Kochi were way above the prescribed standards.
The level of PM 2.5, tiny particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter that can enter deep into the lungs and even the bloodstream, was found to be 279.58 ug/m3, at around 8.30 am on Sunday, as against the normal standard of 60. The PM 10, particles with a diameter less than 10 micrometres, level were recorded at 324.65 as against a normal of 100.
Ranjit Thampy, a Kochi resident, said that toxic smoke was affecting the health of the people living in the city and its neighbourhood. In a Facebook post, he claimed that visibility was very poor in parts of Kochi on Saturday morning and there was a bad smell too.
"People are forced to breathe toxic air. Today morning it's really bad and pathetic," Thampy said in the post
However, authorities claim the fire is under control now. "Hopefully, it would be extinguished by evening," a senior police officer was quoted by PTI.
The blaze broke out on Friday spreading over mounts of garbage as thick plumes of smoke billowed from it. Though firefighters rushed to the spot immediately, they struggled amid the giant piles of garbage that obstructed their movement.
Smoke billowing from the garbage pile at a dumpyard in Kochi |Manorama
Though the district authorities resorted to spraying water, over 5,000 litres, using a helicopter to douse the fire, it did not yield the desired result due to the "smouldering fire" --burning slowly with smoke but without flames.
The authorities have also sectioned the 75-acre land where the fire broke out into six separate areas to douse the fire. Huge pumps have been brought from the nearby district of Alappuzha to pump water from the nearby Kadambrayar river to kill the flames.
However, the sudden change in wind direction is hampering their efforts. This is also contributing to the spread of fire in all directions.
Meanwhile, Kochi police have launched an investigation into the fire. According to the Kochi city police commissioner, a sabotage angle is being probed.
