KOCHI: Even as the city struggles with mounting sewage and polluted canals, two key projects meant to address the crisis remain stalled, years after being proposed. The 5 million-litre-per-day (MLD) sewage treatment plant (STP) in Elamkulam and the much larger 105 MLD facility planned under the Integrated Urban Regeneration and Water Transport System (IURWTS) project have seen no concrete progress.
The Elamkulam plant — first proposed in 2022 under the Amrut scheme — had reached the tendering stage. But Kerala Water Authority (KWA) officials now say a fresh tender will be floated, further delaying the Rs 70.48-crore project meant to serve Kadavanthra and Elamkulam divisions.
A key component of Kochi Metro Rail Ltd’s canal rejuvenation plan, the IURWTS project, also to be implemented by the KWA, has been dogged by a similar fate.
A 2020 detailed project report (DPR) approved four STPs in Vennala, Muttar, Perandoor and Elamkulam with a combined capacity of 77 MLD. However, the DPR was later revised to scale up capacity and merge the plan into two larger STPs of 50 MLD and 55 MLD each. The expanded 478km sewage network is expected to cover 60% of the corporation limits, including West Kochi.
“Though the revised DPR was submitted, the state government has not cleared it yet. We hope it will be approved early next year, after the LSGD polls,” a KWA official said. Construction of the plants would take at least two years, and the sewage network another three to four years, the official added.
Currently, Kochi has just one functioning STP — an old plant in Elamkulam with a network length of only 22km. It handles less than 5% of the city’s sewage, despite Kochi generating approximately 125.90 MLD of wastewater every day.
The consequences are visible. In a recent submission to the Pollution Control Board, the corporation reported that more than 470 apartment complexes and commercial buildings do not have functioning wastewater management systems. A few months earlier, 71 apartment complexes were issued power disconnection notices for non-operational STPs, following a Kerala High Court suo motu case on canal pollution.
With critical projects caught in red tape, existing infrastructure outdated, and hundreds of buildings lacking basic sewage treatment, Kochi’s wastewater crisis continues to worsen with no immediate relief in sight.
MESSY AFFAIR
Kochi generates 125.90 MLD of sewage daily, but the lone functioning STP handles less than 5 per cent
470+ apartments and commercial buildings lack proper wastewater management systems
Recently, 71 apartment complexes were issued power disconnection notices for non-functioning STPs