ublic objection to septage loads being transported during the day has hit capacity utilisation at the Brahmapuram septage treatment plant, which can process 20 loads a day and had been taking in up to 24 loads till recently.
Earlier, the plant had been treating 10 loads in the morning and 10 at night. But when the transport of septage loads were restricted to night, not enough loads do not reach the plant. Advocate Mini Mol V.K., chairperson, standing committee, health, told The Hindu that a meeting steered by the Mayor on Tuesday had decided to follow the night loading practice by advancing timings.
Kabeer B. Haroon, managing director of Clean Kerala Company Ltd, which is responsible for facilitating the working of the plant by organising septage tankers to deliver loads at the plant and the physical maintenance of the plant, said that an average of 15 loads were being maintained.
He said the construction of a tank at the treatment plant was being considered, so that tankers could deposit septage and move away for the plant to function. This will enhance the capacity of the plant, he added. Usually, tankers have to wait at the plant site to deposit waste.
Illegal act
Meanwhile, unauthorised dumping of septage down the Vembanad lake at Thevara and Port sides of the Alexander Parambithara bridge at night is snowballing into a major issue, officials say.
One of the scour valves (air valves) of the new pipeline laid from the JNNURM Maradu treatment plant to the Port area is situated at the spot where waste is dumped into the lake on the Port side.
Workers are not able to operate the valve because of the septage dumped in the area. A Kerala Water Authority (KWA) official told The Hindu that the valve had not been operated.
Two tanker lorries were seized by the Thevara police recently for dumping waste into Vembanad lake.
However, KWA officials said that going by the waste deposited at these places, the process had been going on for a long time.
