THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If things go as planned, then the Corporation would be able to commission the sewage treatment plant coming up at Muttathara by June this year. However, the plant, which has a capacity of 107 mld, would only have work for 40 mld, as that is the amount of sewage generated in the city as of now. This is because only less than 50 wards have a proper sewage network, that too owing its origin to the pre-Independence era.
The efforts to start pumping stations and to refurbish the sewerage systems by laying new pipes have been caught in a row. In total, 30 acres of land (in length) would be required to lay the lines. The Corporation has identified four sites (of 40 cents each) at Ulloor, Akkulam, Shanti Nagar and Karimanal (both in Attipra ward) for the pipe-laying.
The accessibility to these lands should be acquired, for which land acquisition becomes imminent. But, already, four cases are pending before the High Court with regard to this.
In many places like in Punchakari (where the local resistance is high), ground water appears from a depth of three metres, which is why in such places, septic tanks are not practical. The project envisages gravity flow method of the septic waste through pipes to the treatment plant, instead of the pumping method. The plant would turn the sewage to drinking water, making use of advanced technologies.
The main difficulty of the project is bringing
the wards which do not have a sewerage system, including the coastal wards, under it.
A total of Rs 336 crore has been assigned for the project, of which Rs 215 crore was released in the first phase. Since no land acquisition has taken place under the project, money has only been spent on the construction of the plant, which is nearing completion.