Tests reveal poor condition of Brahmapuram dump

Biological oxygen demand exceeds limits at site

Tests of samples collected by the State Pollution Control Board from the leachate drain at the solid waste management plant of the Kochi Corporation at Brahmapuram here have revealed exceeding levels of biological oxygen demand and other parameters. The situation was no different in samples collected from the outlet portion of the nearby septage treatment plant that revealed exceeding levels of faecal contamination (6,20,000 cfu/100 ml) and biological oxygen demand (135 mg/l against the limit of 30 mg/l). The biological oxygen demand, which is a proxy for organic pollution, was 4,269 mg/litre against the limit of 30 mg/litre in the samples collected from the drain that collected the leachate from the old waste heaps at the yard. The levels of nitrogen and sulphide were 61.98 mg/l and 59.6 mg/l against the prescribed limits of 10 mg/l and 2 mg/l respectively. Both the samples were taken in the first week of March.