800 houses in Division 59 of Kochi Corporation to get sewerage connection by December

Around 800 houses in Division 59 (Edakochi South) will be connected to the sewerage network linked to the 1.1-MLD sewage treatment plant (STP) in the first phase of the project by December.

With the project nearing completion, half of the houses in the division will be connected to the new STP, which is expected to cover around 1,800 households. “The construction work on the STP has been completed. The installation of electro-mechanical components remains, and the work is progressing,” said a KWA source.

The sewage pipeline to be laid within the division will have a total length of 18 km.

“Of this, only 200 m of the pipeline remains to be laid. Pipelines have been laid in front of all the houses, and interceptor tanks have been installed within their compounds. The only work remaining is to connect these tanks to the kitchens. This work has been completed in over 150 houses,” said an official.

The decentralised sewerage system is being implemented under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) STP project. The STP is being set up on land owned by the Kochi Corporation near Ambedkar Colony in Edakochi. If the plant proves successful, similar decentralised plants can be set up in other divisions of the city, the official said.

K.J. Baisil, councillor of Division 58 (Edakochi North), said decentralised STPs help manage sewage more effectively than centralised plants. “Earlier, STPs were proposed in three divisions, including Edakochi North. There was opposition to setting up a plant in the division, largely due to misconceptions among residents. Eventually, however, the inability to find suitable land in the division proved to be a hindrance,” said Mr. Baisil.