PCB blocks new Kochi (Kerala) sewage plant due to residential proximity concerns

The Kerala Pollution Control Board (PCB) rejected approval for a proposed 55 MLD sewage treatment plant (STP) in Elamkulam (Kochi) because the site was too close to residential areas, violating minimum distance norms. The state water authority is now re-evaluating alternate sites while planning a broader sewage network for island zones.

The proposed 55 million litres per day (MLD) sewage treatment plant (STP), crucial to treat the city's wastewater from residences and commercial spaces may not come up at Elamkulam as pollution control board (PCB) raised a red flag. The plan was to convert contaminated sewage into safe water for reuse in irrigation or flushing.

Taking note of a large number of residential units in and around the proposed STP at Elamkulam, PCB denied permission to Kerala Water Authority (KWA) to set it up. PCB mandates that distance between an STP and residential or public property should be 74m. During a preliminary inspection, PCB found that distance between the proposed plant and residential area was just 30m.

"It is essential to maintain this distance to ensure that there is no smell, overflow or leakage from STPs, causing inconvenience to residents in the vicinity. Also, it is important to ensure no contamination of potable water if there is any leakage from STPs," said a PCB official.

Hence PCB suggested that KWA relocate the plant, putting KWA in a fix. Unable to find land to set up STPs in the city, KWA had decided to set up the 55MLD plant at Elamkulam along with the existing 5MLD STP set up three years ago on land owned by it since 1950s. This 55MLD plant, along with the existing one, would manage sewage waste from the congested central Kochi area, between Marine Drive and Ernakulam railway line.

However, the urbanscape of Elamkulam has undergone sea change. From hardly any residential units around KWA's 13-acre plot in the 1950s, the area now has witnessed massive growth and is congested with more than 1,000 houses within a 1km radius of the KWA plot. Now, KWA is unable to find another space in Kochi city to set up the much-needed STP.

KWA has decided to seek exemption from state govt, besides insisting on a joint inspection with PCB at the proposed site for the larger benefit of city residents. "We promise to ensure no pollution due to STPs here (existing and proposed). We can no longer ignore the reality that untreated sewage discharge is polluting our water bodies — groundwater and aquatic systems," said a KWA official.

Meanwhile, KWA will review an earlier proposal to set up a new plant at Fort Kochi. The plan was scrapped following public protests. "We are in the process of making a project for the islands. First, we have to identify the area to establish the plant and then lay the network covering the 30 divisions. We will have to conduct social and topographical surveys and clearly zone the area to manage the sewage," said another KWA officer.