In a move to address the pollution caused by houseboats, the government has decided to introduce a mobile sewage treatment plant in the Vembanad lake.
Minister for Ports K. Babu said here on Sunday that an amount of Rs.60 lakh had been sanctioned for the project. He said the Suchitwa Mission and the Kerala State Pollution Control Board would provide technical advice for the plant. The Minister said the project would be taken up under a tourism promotion drive.
The Ports Department also decided to acquire executive boats at a cost of Rs.60 lakh. The boats to be purchased under the coastal shipping project, would be operated on the Vizhinjam- Alappuzha- Munambam- Beypore- Azheekkal route, an official pressnote said.
Mr. Babu announced an outlay of Rs.50 lakh for a scheme to install solar-powered wharf lights at five ports in Kerala. The Ports Department would seek technical advice from the Agency for Non-Conventional Energy and Rural Technology (ANERT) to install the lights at the Azheekkal, Beypore, Tangasseri, Vizhinjam, and Valiathura ports.
The Minister said the project was taken up to reduce the electricity bill of port operations.
