Kochi chokes on pollution as fumes from waste plant fire continues

High Court says city 'trapped in gas chamber'; IAF choppers spray water; schools shut for two days

Kochi, the coastal Kerala city known for its air quality, has had a thick haze for the last six days after a solid waste treatment plant caught fire Thursday.

Pollution in Kochi on Tuesday was worse than in New Delhi, as the authorities struggled to control fumes from the municipal corporation’s plant in Brahmapuram. The Kerala High Court said "the city is trapped in a gas chamber" and helicopters of the Indian Air Force were deployed for spraying water over areas near the plant on Tuesday. Business leaders in the city expressed concern about the air quality, but said that