Kochi, a place he wished he would never have to leave, has now become one he wants to somehow escape from. Posting this on his Facebook wall, writer PF Mathews said he knew that there are many others like him, forced to leave their hometown after the toxic smoke from the Brahmapuram waste plant failed to subside for days on end.
The writer, known for his deep and dark stories centred on Kochi, was scathing in his words. “I know no one can even touch the people who created this situation. Even the papers say that the people of CPI(M) and Congress (the parties leading the ruling and opposition fronts in Kerala) are behind this. We have been going through this for so many years, but the media is behaving as if Swapna Suresh (the main accused in the 2020 gold smuggling case) is Kerala’s biggest problem now. Those we thought would act responsibly – the Chief Minister and the Health Minister – have not offered a single line to put us at ease,” Mathews wrote, worrying for the children and the pregnant women who breathe the city’s polluted air.
Other writers and activists have also expressed concerns over the precarious situation in Kochi. Environmentalist and former convener of the Aam Aadmi Party in Kerala, CR Neelakandan, has been posting videos of garbage trucks arriving at the Brahmapuram plant at night at a time when vast layers of burning waste are still emitting toxic air. In a Facebook post three days ago, he asked if it was the state government or the elected councillors who were running the Ernakulam Corporation. “The Mayor says that it is the KSIDC (Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation) that called the tender for geo mining and waste energy plant in Brahmapuram. How can the Mayor wash his hands of this?” Neelakandan asked, accusing the state government for interfering in the affairs of the Corporation.
Another expert in the area, Muralee Thummarakudy, Chief of Disaster Risk Reduction in the UN Environment Programme, wrote a long, detailed post on the issue, going to the roots of the waste management problem in Kerala. From reiterating the small ways in which waste can be handled at source, he goes on to talk about the waste to energy technology that can be used for centralised waste. He argues for centralised waste, saying that the average cost of disposing waste from 3,000 households together is lower than if it was handled separately.
“Rather than thinking that waste management is to be managed within the limits of local self-government bodies, the state should think of comprehensive plans,” Muralee said. He also suggests that the cost of disposal of solid waste in each city should be borne by the residents so they will have a sense of responsibility. He describes how organic waste mixed with soil releases greenhouse gases and creates environmental havoc.
As someone who led teams that made recommendations on solid waste management after major disasters in the world, Muralee said he will connect with the best experts and create an action plan – not only for Kochi but the entire state.