Many residentsu2019 associations in the city said a large number of people have left for their hometowns to get rid of toxic fumes. Empty car parking lots in many apartments and thin attendance in offices are a testimony to it.
Stating that the governmentu2019s main objective is to avert a pandemic, health minister Veena George on Saturday said 800 people have sought medical aid so far, and the state will begin a door-to-door health survey from Tuesday. u201cWe will identify people who are affected by smoke and will start treatment. Our main effort is to avert a pandemic,u201d she said.
The government has asked all hospitals to give top priority to people facing problems breathing. According to health experts, toxic air that contained a high level of dioxin, furan and other chemicals, is as dangerous as nuclear waste-induced air.
Source: Twitter
u201cDioxin and furan, two major chemical components, can cling on to dust particles and can enter the bloodstream directly and its long-term impact can be dangerous,u201d said a health expert. u201cLong-term impact of such toxic fumes and smoke has to be studied. The toxic chemical will continue to enter the body even after the smoke is settled through crops, water, and livestock,u201d said medical expert Dr. Rajeev Jayadevan.
Many medical stores said demand for inhalers, oximeters, and respiratory tract infection medicines increased manifold. u201cSituation is really alarming as residents gasping for breath. It is a disgrace that the stateu2019s best city is reduced to an object of shame,u201d said a techie who worked in Info Park but moved to his home town in Kottayam on Saturday after his five-year-old son developed breathing problems.
Amid the toxic air quality, IT firms in the city to have arranged work from home for their employees. There are 280 IT companies in the park, having over 60,000 employees. u201cOffline work from Info Park is no longer feasible as the condition worsened. Many employees are suffering from health issues,u201d said P Anish, president of an IT firm.
u201cEleven days passed no solution is in sight. No cases or arrests. Responsible people are busy passing the buck. We need the intervention of the PM,u201d said H Ram, a protestor. As the situation aggravated, the opposition sharpened its attack on the government alleging corruption. They also demanded that the city mayor should resign over the incident.
u201cThere is big corruption in the contract which was given to a relative of the CPI(M) leader. The mayor should resign and the corporation should be dismissed. Toxic air is laced with corruption and nepotism,u201d said minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan.
Source: India Today
u201cThe CM is yet to respond. Has he left the country? It is a man-made disaster and culprits should be brought to light,u201d Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said.
Responding to these, CPI (M) state secretary M V Govindan said in Kottayam that waste has accumulated in the city for more than two decades and it was not fair to blame the present regime only.u201cThis plant was started two decades ago and waste accumulated over many years. Mindless dumping led to this and residents also have a role in it,u201d he said.
On March 2, a massive fire broke out at the Brahmapuram waste plant in Kochi. Following the incident, more than 5,000 liters of water was sprayed on the same day, in the active fire zones of 110-acre yards in a bid to douse the fire. Residents have been advised to remain indoors and use N-95 masks if they step out. Local authorities have also announced that schools will be shut for younger children. In an update on Sunday, the state government said that the fire was under control and would be extinguished soon.
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