KOCHI: As Kochi becomes a major hub of boat tourism, one of the major challenge for authorities is to manage the sewage from these boats. Learning a lesson from authorities in Alappuzha, a hub of houseboat tourism, Ernakulam District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) will also start a sewage treatment plant (STP) for the waste from the boats soon.
Currently, houseboats operating in Kochi do not have night-stay facilities. However, tourism authorities in Kochi have a proposal to start houseboats similar to boats operated in Alappuzha. A cruise boat terminal was launched to promote houseboats in Kochi on Thursday.
With houseboats operating in Kochi waters, pollution would be a major issue.“We have identified some plots of land to start an STP for boats here. One of the ideal plots is near the Goshree bridge. It would cost around `5 lakh to start an STP. We are working on the project and once houseboats become regular here, we will have the STP as well,” DTPC secretary S Vijaykumar said.
Boats will be given strict guidelines to unload the sewage regularly at STP. “The boats can clear the sewage once in three months. A certificate will be issued to the houseboat operators. There will be a regular checking to ensure that sewage is not dumped in the water. The STP will be monitored with the assistance of Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB),” he said.
A report prepared by the Alappuzha District Panchayat a few years back on pollution from houseboats said around 2,30,160 litres of waste water were being discharged from over 600 houseboats operating there.
Similarly, a large number of houseboats had been plying without the no-objection certificate (NOC) from KSPCB.
Later, the authorities brought regulations to prevent dumping of waste in the backwaters and started STPs to tackle the problem.