The Kerala Solid Waste Management Project (KSWMP) has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Chennai-based International Fire Engineering Consultants (IFEC) for conducting a thorough fire safety assessment of the solid waste management facilities across the State.
Divya S. Iyer, project director, KSWMP and C. Arunagiri, Chief Executive Consultant, IFEC signed the MoU for carrying out the first phase of fire assessment of solid waste facilities.
The MoU comes close on the heels of a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan with the officials from the World Bank. It was suggested at the meeting that evaluation of safeguards would help identify any potential fire-risks associated with the day-to-day functioning of the waste management facilities.
A thorough assessment will also result in recommendations for putting in place fool-proof safety measures to reduce fire hazards and make the facilities fully compliant with fire safety laws and guidelines.
As per the agreement, the consultant will conduct a comprehensive fire risk assessment based on a structured and systematic examination of select solid waste management facilities and identify the potential fire hazards from fire including components, services and equipment.
“It is a proactive step in ensuring the safety of the facilities by onboarding a globally-certified company like IFEC. This will help prevent untoward incidents in garbage collection centres,” Dr. Divya said.
In the first phase, fire audit tender of 25 legacy dump sites, 64 waste disposal centres in grama panchayats and 74 Material Collection Facilities (MCF) in urban local bodies will be conducted.
