Amid protests by local residents of Talap here against a private hospital’s sewage treatment plant (STP), a team of Pollution Control Board (PCB) officials led by its member secretary P. Molikkutty visited the hospital to inspect the STP. The management of the Koyili Hospital here drew the local residents’ protest against what they called violation of the former’s assurance that an effective STP would be installed that is compatible with the present requirements of the hospital.
They alleged that the groundwater wells in the area have been contaminated by the lack of proper STP facilities in the hospital.
District Collector P. Bala Kiran, panchayat authorities and the PCB officials, who had visited the STP following the complaints by the residents last month, directed the hospital authorities to stop the admission of patients following their finding that the hospital had not taken effective steps to treat the solid waste in conformity with the PCB regulations. The visit on Wednesday by the PCB officials and representative of the Pallikkunnu panchayat followed the High Court’s direction on a petition by the hospital management seeking a stay on further proceedings on the direction of to stop admission of patients.
The court in its order on January 8 directed the PCB and panchayat to inspect the hospital premises and the STP to ascertain its functionality. The hospital management had told the court that the STP has been restored to its effective condition. When contacted Ms. Molikkutty told The Hindu that the PCB officials and panchayat representatives inspected the STP. She said that a report on their inspection will be submitted to the Collector probably on Wednesday itself. The residents, including women and children, assembled at the STP site with placards during the inspection visit by officials. The residents said that the ‘restored’ STP was to hoodwink the officials visiting the site. When contacted, hospital managing director K. Pramod said that the inconvenience to the residents in the area was caused by the malfunctioning of the STP, leading to improper treatment of solid waste. The malfunctioning has now been rectified, he added.
Residents had complained of contamination of groundwater
Hospital says malfunctioning sewage plant had been repaired
