Flow of sewage into Cooum to be controlled

First STP at Chetpet to be commissioned by October-end

The newly set up modular STP at Chetpet.

Pollution in the urban stretch of the Cooum may be brought under control soon with one of the modular sewage treatment plants along the river likely to be commissioned by October-end as part of the Integrated Cooum River Eco Restoration Project.

Of the three modular STPs proposed at a total cost of ₹33.33 crore along the river, the facility at Chetpet with a capacity to treat one million litres of raw sewage daily is almost ready with the trial run going on. The ₹2.77-crore plant is one of the components of the project to restore the river.

Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) is setting up two more plants in the city with moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) technology. Officials said while work on a plant with a capacity to treat 1.2 million litres daily (MLD) at Choolaimedu would be completed by March next, the largest among the three at Langs Garden with a capacity to treat 10 MLD of sewage would be ready by June 2022.

The MBBR technology was chosen as it occupies less space, is cost-effective and consumes less power. The facilities occupy a space of 450 sq m for every mld capacity. The plant at Langs Garden has tertiary treatment component to recycle water that can be supplied to industries and railway stations. Access to the plant was paved through a dump yard, officials said.

The proposal to set up a modular STP at Maduravoyal was dropped in the wake of projects being taken up to provide underground drainage network at places such as Nerkundram and Thiruverkadu.

The infrastructure being created would be in place till the outfalls in the river is plugged. These facilities had to be set up along the river due to land constraints in the core parts of the city, the officials said.

The CMWSSB has taken up work to lay pipeline along the river to plug nearly 37 sewage outfalls Priority is given to plug outfalls through SWD and work is implemented in places such as Mehta Nagar, South Cooum Road, Anna Nagar and Nungambakkam. “We plan to plug 31 outfalls by October-end,” said an official. Such structures will be identified to divert sewage to nearest pumping stations and plug more outfalls,” said an official.