Kerala government to undertake health survey around smoke-filled Brahmapuram waste plant

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government on Friday decided to conduct a health survey in the areas around Brahmapuram to assess the health-related problems caused by the smoke pollution emanating from the smoldering waste plant there. Health Minister Veena George said the survey will include people who are immediately affected and also those who live in the surrounding areas.

"We have taken this decision in a high-level meeting today. Our community medicine experts will prepare a questionnaire. The district team will prioritise the places and our field staff will be trained to do the house-to-house survey, in order to analyse what is the real situation on the ground," George told reporters here.

The minister said the health department has also earmarked a 'smoke casualty' in hospitals and has earmarked 100 beds in General Hospital, Ernakulam, and 20 beds in Taluk Hospital, Tripunithura for patients coming from the affected areas.

She said health staff has been working on the field from March 3 onwards. The minister said the health department is also conducting special medical camps in Kochi for those affected by the smoke pollution.

She said the whole focus of the government is now to overcome the crisis and after that the government, with the cooperation of all the departments concerned, would be implementing a scientific solution to permanently address this issue.

The fire broke out at the Kochi city corporation-run waste treatment plant on March 2 and the district administration of Ernakulam declared a holiday on March 6 for children in all schools in areas under Kochi corporation and the nearby municipalities and gram panchayats, as thick clouds of toxic smoke billowing from the site engulfed the city.