City turning into septage dumpyard

KOCHI: Dumping of septage waste in water bodies and roads, which had given sleepless nights to residents in rural areas, has now become a headache for Kochiites. Police and health officials termed it a common problem with cases being reported from Vyttila, Kaloor, Kathrikadavu, Kadavanthra, Kaloor stadium, Pachalam, Kundanoor and areas near Oberon mall."We have deployed special squads to nab such vehicles. We book at least one vehicle a day. To curb the problem, we have asked residents to immediately alert us if they witness such instances in their locality,'' said K G James, city police commissioner. As per section 340 A of the Kerala Municipal Act (1994), a fine - ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000 - can be slapped on an offender caught flushing out waste water in public areas and water sources. In 2014, Harbour police recorded 20 such offences and four more cases were registered in 2015. Offenders had to pay a fine of Rs 10,000 in each case.Civic authorities are yet to nail down culprits as no cases have been booked by the corporation till date. "Residents have complained about such events near Vyttila Junction and Toc H school area. But we are unable to track the culprits without police help as they leave the area within 5 minutes," said health inspector Omana C A. Mayor Tony Chammany said night patrolling and vehicle inspection will be strengthened to contain the problem. He added that newly-installed septage treatment plant at Brahmapuram will address the issue when it becomes operational. The new stand-alone septage treatment plant developed under the Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project (KSUDP) has completed its trial run successfully. The plant will be operational within 60 days, said KSUDP project manager S Sabu. The facility can process up to 1 lakh litres of septage a day; Kochi produces more than 5 lakh litres of septage. Septic tank cleaners have come down heavily on the corporation's apathy in setting up a treatment plant. "Nobody wants to dump waste in canals or drains. But we don't have an option in the absence of a proper treatment plant. If the sewage treatment plant at Elamkulam is augmented, it will be a relief," said an operator of a cleaning service in Kochi. At present, the city has one sewage treatment plant that is owned and operated by Kerala Water Authority at Elamkulam. As of now, around 3 million litres (MLD) of sewage is treated at the plant every day.P Rangadasa Prabhu, president of Ernakulam District Residents Associations Apex Council, said that septage waste disposal is indeed a headache. "Until civic authorities provide adequate facilities, how can we blame the cleaners alone?" If septage treatment is not addressed properly, Hepatitis B and other water-borne diseases are likely to rise, warned medical experts.