If two ambitious plans materialise, thousands of houses in West Kochi could be connected to a sewerage system that could come to the rescue of the canals in the area.
Three sewage treatment plants (STPs) and a sewerage network are in the pipeline as part of the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) project. The plants, with the capacity to treat 1.5 million litres per day (mld), will be set up in three wards, Edakochi North, Edakochi South and Perumpadappu, where land has been identified.
The project could connect around 7,000 houses in each ward to a small-bore sewer system — narrow pipelines that can be laid alongside drains with minimal road digging. The pipelines will not interfere with the city’s high water table as the small-bore system does not require steep gradients, and underground pipelines will not have to be laid at great depths. Interceptor tanks will be set up inside building compounds to collect both toilet and kitchen waste.
Work on the project, which is being implemented at a cost of ₹44.56 crore, is likely to begin in January and could take over 18 months to complete. The contractor implementing the project will also operate and manage the system for five years.
Residents’ concern
The project initially met with some resistance from residents in the area who were apprehensive about the setting up of waste treatment plants close to their homes. But public consultations and awareness sessions helped bring residents on board, a source said.
A similar project under Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML) envisages to set up an STP with a capacity of 6.5 mld on 45 cents near the Fort Kochi Taluk Hospital. But a few residents remain apprehensive about it, according to Kalvathy councillor Zeenath Rasheed.
A resident alleged that there were not enough discussions with residents on the matter. Most residents were on board with the idea of a sewerage network but were not keen on having a treatment facility close to their homes, he said.
Little land is available in the West Kochi area and only the identified space was found to be apt, sources said. The plant, with modern, advanced treatment systems, was unlikely to cause a foul smell in the area, they said. Work on the project worth ₹166 crore, including five years of operation by the contractor, is likely to begin next month. The system will connect 9,280 houses in wards one to five to a ‘vacuum sewer’ network. It maintains partial vacuum inside the pipe, which ensures that valves open and close automatically, minimising the need for pumping.
