A major fire at a private non-degradable waste management unit in Vengola, near Kochi, left tonnes of plastic and glass waste smouldering for hours on Monday, raising health concerns among local residents although no injuries were reported.
The fire broke out at around 9am at the godown of Green Evo Tech. The facility operates on a 50-cent plot and had stockpiled plastic waste and glass bottle items across an area of about 20,000 sq ft. Thick black smoke continued to billow from the unit through the day and into the night.
Around five to six migrant workers were present at the site when the incident occurred. About 10 fire units and 60 firemen from different parts of Ernakulam district brought the fire under control by around 4.30pm, but the material continued to smoulder.
Pattimattom fire station officer Assinar said firefighters initially found it difficult to approach the godown because glass bottles were exploding. Nearly five earthmovers were used to stir the waste, while water was pumped into the stockpile to keep it wet and prevent the fire from spreading.
The prolonged smoke led local authorities to advise pregnant women and people with comorbidities to move temporarily to relatives’ homes until the smouldering was controlled. Panchayat president Shamitha Shereef said the smouldering was expected to continue into Tuesday because it was not possible to completely douse the flames immediately.
The incident has also brought attention to the unit’s approval and operating status. According to local body officials, the facility began functioning about a year ago and obtained permission through the Kerala government’s K-SWIFT single-window clearance portal early this year.
Shereef said the panchayat had denied permission for the facility after strong opposition from residents, but the unit later secured approval through K-SWIFT. Residents had raised concerns about the odour from the facility, and local officials visited the site after opposition intensified. During the visit, they found a large quantity of waste piled inside the godown, she said.
The panchayat president said the local body had subsequently served the unit a notice directing it to relocate. According to her, the facility was expected to stop functioning by the end of October.
Green Evo Tech collects plastic waste gathered by Haritha Karma Sena from different parts of the state and transports it to cement factories in Tamil Nadu, according to the report. The local body also said there were no fire extinguishers at the unit.
The incident places the focus on how non-degradable waste is stored between collection and onward transport, and on the coordination between local-body permissions, state-level single-window clearances and fire-safety requirements. The immediate response remains centred on controlling the smouldering waste and limiting smoke exposure in surrounding areas.
