The Hindu 26.01.2010
A pressure tactic: Mayor
Staff Reporter
KOCHI: The resistance against extinguishing the fire that broke out at Brahmapuram plant premises might be a pressure tactic to speed up the proposed rehabilitation package for the residents, said Mayor Mercy Williams.
The plastic waste collected at the plant premises had caught fire last week and this had invited loud protests from the local population.
Though it was proposed to control the fire by covering the burning plastic with sand, some local residents insisted that water should be used to control the fire. The fire could be effectively controlled using sand. There was enough reason to believe that the resistance against the fire control measures was a politically-motivated one. The fire and smoke from the plastic waste would be naturally extinguished within a couple of days, she said.
Though there were fire extinguishers in the Brahmapuram plant, the staff were not trained to operate it. In case of any fire, the Fire and Rescue service and the fire fighters from the FACT would help the corporation.
The Project Engineer of the Kochi Corporation has been asked to make arrangements for installing a proper fire fighting mechanism at the plant, she said. An effective fire-fighting system will be in place with the commissioning of the Refuse Derived Fuel plant at Brahmapuram, she said.
Plastic granules made from the plastic bags collected from the city would be used for tarring the 350-metre-long road at Manapattiparambu.
The project is being implemented as a joint initiative of the Kochi corporation, CREDAI Clean City Movement and BPCL Kochi Refineries.
Around 750 kgs of plastic granules would be used along with bitumen for the roadwork. It is estimated that one tonne of plastic granules can be used in tarring one km of a single lane road.
This would reduce the usage of bitumen by 10 per cent. The use of plastic along with bitumen will help in controlling the plastic waste, said Kabeer B. Haroon, project director of the Movement.
