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India: Kerala's Kochi city covered in toxic smoke after waste plant fire burns for days
Residents have been advised to remain indoors and keep school-going children home
Kerala's coastal town Kochi has been covered in giant plumes of toxic smoke that continued to rise from the Brahmapuram waste plant after the incident was reported on March 2.
Hundreds of firefighters battled to bring the blaze under control that had gone on for five days. District authorities said each of the fire tenders was using approximately 40,000 litres of water to put out the smoke.
The Indian Navy helicopter collected water from a nearby reservoir and poured it over the smoke-filled waste plant site, ravaged by fire. The toxic fumes have spread over to neighbouring areas.
A senior police officer told PTI that the fire appeared to be extinguished, but huge amounts of smoke were still rising from the site, and therefore, it may not have been quelled completely.
Aerial visuals of the site aired on various channels showed huge and thick plumes of smoke billowing from the site, which appeared to be completely ravaged by the fire.
The city has been blanketed with thick, toxic smoke, and people have been advised to remain indoors and wear N95 masks when going out. According to media reports, rural child care centres, kindergartens, and classes 1 to 7 of government-aided, unaided, CBSE and ICSE schools in Kochi city and neighbouring villages and municipalities remained closed on Monday.
Earlier on Saturday, the Kerala government held a meeting and decided to explore a flooding approach to extinguish the ongoing fire which broke at the Brahmapuram waste plant in Ernakulam District on Thursday, an official statement said.
An official statement from the State Government stated that the meeting discussed the ongoing efforts and options available for extinguishing the fire, reports ANI.
On Sunday, Kerala Health Minister Veena George and Law and Industries Minister P Rajeev held another meeting at Kochi with Ernakulam District Administration officials on this matter.
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