On March 2nd a fire broke out in the expansive solid waste treatment plant at Brahmapuram, Kochi. As authorities failed to douse the fire for the fifth consecutive day, the toxic smoke has now spread all over the city and the neighboring districts as well. Following this, a local holiday has been declared for classes 1 to 7 in several parts of Kochi and also, the government has directed the residents of Kochi to stay indoors and wear N995 masks while venturing out for emergencies.

As hundreds of firefighters, including Naval personnel are still battling to extinguish the fire for the fifth consecutive day, the situation has fuelled, intense public anxiety about the severe air pollution and the public health fall-out.

According to a fire officer who was engaged in the fire-fighting at the waste plant said that it was taking time to quell the flames as there were layers of plastic underneath which got heated up and prevented the fire at the top from cooling down. Also, the phosgene gas generated by the fire lead to nausea, dizziness among the firefighters which also slowed down the operations. Reportedly, the fire broke out due to the extreme heat in the city.

Aerial visuals of the site showing huge and thick plumes of smoke billowing from the site are doing the rounds on social media and the media.

To give you some update on the #Brahmapuram mishap, this is @callmeshazzam 's insta story.

Even if they can contain the fire in the next couple of days, how the hell are they gonna get rid of these thick poisonous smoke clouds?#Kochi pic.twitter.com/pCUAtjrTVP

— Georgy Abraham (@WriterDirectorG) March 5, 2023

Such a shame #kochi corporation. Fire and rescue cannot stop this #fire even after 36hours. The residents are inhaling toxic air.
Note: This is the view from Vytilla which is 7KM from #Brahmapuram. pic.twitter.com/OjJzJbLVtW

— Ajas (@ajassunil) March 4, 2023