Kochi in dire need of septage plant

KOCHI: With only a couple of months remaining for the UDF-led council, the septage treatment plant promised when they came to power has not been realised so far.

The reckless disposal of septic waste in open spaces and wetlands by hundreds of tanker lorries has become a grave health hazard.

According to green experts, more than 80 per cent of the ground water in the city and suburbs is polluted due to lack of sewage and toilet waste treatment facility.

Though a plant was proposed near Kundannoor, it failed to take off. Now, the state government has started setting up a plant at the corporation’s Bra-hmapuram waste dumping yard.

Several tanker lorries in the city are engaged in collecting septic waste from residential and commercial apartments. In the absence of treatment facilities, the septage is being dumped into drains, open spaces and wetlands during the night.

Representatives of the neighbouring panchayats and municipalities have been complaining constantly against the illegal dumping of septage from the city in their respective areas.

Meanwhile, corporation health committee chairman T.K Ashraf told DC that the septage treatment plant being set up at Brahmapuram would be operational soon.

“The plant, the first of its kind in the state, will have a capacity to treat 20 truckloads of septage waste daily. The project is being taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 4 crore under the Kerala State Sustainable Urban Development Programme (KSUDP). At the plant, the toilet waste will be converted into sludge and water.” he said. According to officials at KSUDP, the project could be completed in four to five months.