Most areas of Kochi remain outside the coverage of sewage treatment even as the authorities are planning to take up a project at Mundanveli in West Kochi.
The project implementation unit of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) in Kochi Corporation is planning to approach the High Court for obtaining the approval for the project.
Awaiting clearance
The project has obtained the Coastal Regulation Zone clearance following an assurance on compensatory mangrove afforestation proposed by the mission authorities. The mission is awaiting the court clearance for going ahead with the project, officials said. The technical evaluation of the bids for establishing a network of pipelines to the treatment plant is under way. The financial bids for the work will be opened after the evaluation.
The State-level empowered committee for the mission projects has given the green signal for the project, officials said.
The Rs.78-crore project has been lagging for over two years. The project, with an installed capacity of 12 million litres a day, will cover the Fort Kochi and Mattanchery areas. The treatment plant has to be completed before 2014 June, when phase one of the mission would be wound up, officials said.
Elamkulam project
Phase two of the Elamkulam project, meant for the central city area, has been remaining a non-starter for want of funds. The Supreme Court had come down on the State government the other day for its failure to implement Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) projects for treating septage.
The Kochi Corporation is looking to the State government for funds for the expansion of the Elamkulam project.
The project estimate has gone up to Rs. 153 crore from the earlier Rs.73 crore.
The JNNURM will provide around Rs.36 crore for the project. Now, it’s the responsibility of the State government and the city corporation to raise the additional funds required for the project.
Mayor Tony Chammany has said that the corporation will not be able to implement the project without the generous financial support of the State government.
However, the government has not responded to the demands of the civic body, he said. The paper works for the acquisition of land for the nine pumping stations of the Elamkulam project have started. Funds are required for laying the network of pipelines and other components of the project, Mr. Chammany said.
The plant, which was installed at Elamkulam a few decades ago, has an installed capacity of 4.5 million litres a day. It covers only five per cent of the city area.
