Aafrin Kidwai 
Representational image by Aafrin Kidwai
The Kerala High Court has observed that all rules for solid waste management were violated at the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant in Kochi. It has ordered the Kochi Municipal Corporation to produce contract documents and provide information on waste management spending during the last seven years.
While hearing a petition about the fire at the Brahmapuram plant, the court also criticized the Ernakulam District Collector for not attending court in person, and asked the Pollution Control Board what action it would take against plant operators. A local self-government secretary informed the court that a war room for solid waste management would be opened in Kochi, reports The Print.
In related developments, Kerala has decided to switch to a decentralized waste management system in Kochi. Former minister Mr Thomas Isaac, who pioneered the model in Thiruvananthapuram and Alappuzha, will lead the mission, and experienced volunteers, health officers, and experts will be drafted in. An action plan has been developed with the help of the Suchitwa Mission, and it has been decided to stop dumping waste in Brahmapuram and treat organic waste at source, reports The New Indian Express. Kochi is the only place in the state where decentralized waste management is not followed.
