KOCHI: A long-standing sewage and solid waste dumping issue at Kent Mahal apartments in Brahmapuram continues to affect nearby villages, with residents alleging that little has changed despite official intervention dating back to 2018.
Residents of Vadavucode-Puthencruz grama panchayat say they have been fighting a “never-ending battle” against untreated sewage discharge and indiscriminate waste dumping from the apartment complex, located in Brahmapuram near Kakkanad.
Official documents from 2018 show that complaints submitted to the district collector had prompted an inquiry by the District Cleanliness Mission. A technical inspection found that the sewage treatment plant (STP) at Kent Mahal was not functioning, leading to overflow and discharge of wastewater into surrounding areas.
The report also flagged the absence of proper solid waste management facilities, with plastic waste being dumped in nearby fields. Recommendations included installing higher-capacity STPs, ensuring scientific treatment and reuse of wastewater, and implementing waste segregation systems.
However, nearly nine years later, residents allege that the situation remains largely unchanged. According to them, wastewater continues to be discharged into nearby land and water channels, affecting several villages in the vicinity.
Efforts by residents to clean the waterbody flowing next to the apartment complex have yielded little result due to continued dumping. “We first raised complaints in 2017 after sewage from the apartment complex began entering nearby areas.
The District Cleanliness Mission’s inspection found flaws in the sewage treatment system, which were not rectified. Residents later discovered that wastewater was allegedly being diverted through a drainage line connected to a rainwater channel, causing sewage to flow openly into nearby land and water bodies,” said Anas, a resident who has been at the forefront of protests.
According to locals, stagnant wastewater has begun affecting nearby plots, wells, fields and houses under construction, raising groundwater-contamination and public-health concerns.
On being contacted by TNIE, Mily George, secretary of the Kent Mahal Residents Association, said most residents of the complex are ordinary families who purchased flats after taking loans, trusting the approvals and documents provided at the time of handover. “The apartment has a functioning sewage treatment plant with a final ultrafiltration unit and treated water is reused within the complex for use in toilets and watering plants,” she said.
Navas, a former panchayat member, who has been leading the protest against the discharge of wastewater, said the matter has been under the consideration of the High Court for several years, during which period multiple suggestions were reportedly made to improve sewage treatment facilities and increase treatment capacity.
“The existing treatment plant does not have the capacity to handle the total wastewater (2.45 lakh litres approx) generated by all six towers. While part of the treated water (1 lakh litres approx) is reused within the complex, concerns remain regarding disposal of the remaining wastewater (1.45 lakh litres),” he alleged. According to Mily, Kent Mahal and Kent Construction upgraded the STP unit with additional tanks, filter elements and ultrafiltration unit to enhance the water quality, on the directive of the HC.