KOCHI: The district administration has decided to act tough against restaurants and lodges that let septic tank waste into public sewers in and around the city. On Tuesday, District Collector K Mohammed Y Safirulla ordered closure of four hotels at Chottanikkara, based on complaints filed by local residents that the eateries were dumping septic tank waste into drains.
The hotels, Ganesh Bhavan, Rajeswari, Krishna Rest House and Sri Vinayaka, all functioning near the Chottanikkara temple, were told to down shutter based on reports submitted by the Village Officer, District Medical Officer, Suchwitwa Mission and the Pollution Control Board. Inspections were conducted after human excreta was detected in public sewers near the hotels, posing a serious threat to the water bodies in the area.
The Disaster Management Department had warned of contamination of water sources, considering the possibility of sever water shortage in the area in the coming months.
The Collector also directed business establishments in and around the city to make arrangements to dispose of waste water.
A committee has been constituted to review the waste disposal systems put in place by the business establishments. The committee will visit commercial establishments and submit reports to the authorities, based on which action would be initiated against the offenders, as per the Kerala Public Health Act and the Disaster Management Act.