No takers for Muttathara sewage sludge

The KWA plant generates 25 cubic metres of sludge per day

A view of the Muttathara sewage treatment plant.The wet slush generated here is dumped to anearby vacant KWA land, which is fast filling up. File photo: S. Mahinsha

Almost a year has passed since the Kerala Water Authority operationalised the sewage treatment plant at Muttathara but the utility has failed to find a proper mechanism to dispose of the sludge generated from the plant.

Last October, the sewerage wing of the water utility started treating 37 mld of waste after a few months of trial run. The plant now generates 25 cubic metres of sludge per day and as there is no disposal mechanism in place, the wet slush is being pumped to the nearby vacant land owned by the KWA.

Time runs out

A senior official with the sewerage wing told The Hindu that almost 40 cents of land had been filled with the sludge. “In another six to eight months, the entire vacant land will be filled with the sludge and then it will be a real cause of concern if we do not find an alternate source by then. Several attempts were made to dispose of the sludge in a scientific way but all of them failed,” the official added. So far, a minuscule part of the sludge generated was sourced by a few individuals to be used as manure, the official said. In the initial scheme of things, the sludge was planned to be taken to the Vilappilsala garbage plant, but the plan went awry after the government decided to close down the garbage yard. Following the plant’s closure, the KWA wrote to the Fertilizers and Chemicals Travancore Limited (FACT) requesting them to collect the sludge to be used as a component in making fertilizer. However, the proposal did not find favour with FACT.

After the KWA invited private agencies to manage the sludge, a Pune-based society came forward, but the conditions put forth by the group, including setting apart five acres of land for establishing a biogas plant, were not acceptable to the government. The KWA had also toyed with the idea of generating power from the sludge but a technical study ruled out the possibility.’

When contacted, Jalaludhin, project coordinator, Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, said the KWA had sought the assistance of Clean Kerala Company of the State government to find a viable solution to dump the slush.

“We hope to find an agency to convert the sludge into a component for fertilizer. We are running short of time and hope to find a solution in the next two to three months,” he said.