Corporation doesn’t have answer to a burning issue

KOCHI: The city corporation authorities seem to learn no lessons from the frequent fire outbreaks at Brahmapuram. Though the fire and rescue services department had sent a proposal to the city corporation for arranging firefighting facilities at Brahmapuram a few years ago, the local body paid least attention to it.
In the proposal given to the city corporation some six years ago, the fire and rescue services department had stressed the necessity of arranging firefighting facilities at Brahmapuram.“Besides that, we had sent a report to the local body authorities briefing the immediate requirements there. We had suggested fire hydrants (a connection point by which firefighters can tap into a water supply) at every 40 metres on the premises of the waste treatment plant. Moreover, there should be a pump-house and sumps for storing water,” said V Dileepan, regional fire officer.

Though water is available from Kadambrayar, which shares its boundaries with the waste treatment plant premises, there aren’t roads for the fire engines to reach the river and fill water. “As the 20 acres of the plant is a marshy land, it is difficult for us to even walk, let alone move trucks. We had underlined the necessity of roads crisscrossing the premises; the local body hasn’t constructed roads. So, our vehicles won’t be able to go and fetch water from the river. As a result, we will have to lay hoses all across the length of the premises for pumping water from the river. The force of water thus pumped would be low,” Dileepan said. “It is difficul t for our personnel to walk through the premises that is filled with garbage. Fire personnel face health issues stemming out of the waste and poisonous smoke,” he said.
The lack of proper lighting is another problem that firefighters face during emergencies. “We had asked the local body authorities to ensure adequate lighting and widening of roads to waste treatment plant premises. Had there been roads crisscrossing the premises, they would also act as fire breaker. Roads would prevent fire from spreading to other areas,” an official with fire and rescue services department said.
At the same time, the city corporation authorities said they were ignorant about such a proposal given by fire and rescue services department. “I am unaware of such a proposal given by the fire and rescue services department,” deputy mayor T J Vinod said. He said the Wednesday’s fire was a minor one. “We have earmarked funds from the plan fund for next fiscal for setting up firefighting facilities at Brahmapuram,” Vinod said.
Opposition councillors allege that the apathy on the part of the civic body authorities has led to the situation. “Following the visit by the NGT team, we had asked the local body authorities to keep vigil to ensure proper running of the plant. A month before the NGT team visited the plant, opposition councillors had visited the areas to take stock of the situation. Then, we had warned the corporation authorities of the chances of a fire breakout. But, they didn’t act,” said K J Antony, opposition leader, corporation. “We had sent a letter to mayor Soumini Jain for convening an urgent meeting of the corporation council to discuss the issues related to waste disposal at Brahmapuram. Even after a week, the mayor hasn’t convened the meeting,” Antony said.