Panchayat officials of Kalavai, which has over 20,000 residents, were unable to locate a plot in the town panchayat because of the high cost. Hence, they identified land in Pindithangal, officials say.
Residents of Pindithangal village near Arcot in Ranipet district have been opposing the establishment of a sewage treatment plant by the neighbouring Kalavai town panchayat in their village. They are worried that the groundwater table will be contaminated in Pindithangal and the nearby farming villages.
Residents say more than 3,000 families reside in Pindithangal that comes under the Thimiri panchayat union. Most of the families depend on agriculture and weaving. The plant is proposed for the treatment of sewage from the households in Kalavai, around five km from Pindithangal.
Panchayat officials of Kalavai, which has over 20,000 residents, were unable to locate a plot in the town panchayat because of the high cost. Hence, they identified land in Pindithangal, officials say.
Pindithangal residents point out that two lakes and a few ponds in the village supply water for irrigation. “The sewage treatment plant may contaminate the groundwater in the area, affecting farming. The farmers in these villages — which have at least 1,400 acres under cultivation — depend on borewells and waterbodies for irrigation,” says R. Vembu, a farmer.
Furthermore, water for household consumption comes from these waterbodies. Local panchayats have sunk deep borewells around the lakes to pump water to the overhead tanks for domestic consumption.
Kalavai panchayat officials say the plant will be established on a 2.5-acre plot in a border area of the village under Swachh Bharat Mission at a cost of ₹4.55 crore. It will treat wastewater, mainly from households in the town and surrounding villages, for a nominal fee from each household. The recycled water will be used to water plants.
The project is being implemented by the Kannamangalam town panchayat. Panchayat officials say the lack of land in the town limits has forced them to identify a plot in the village for the plant.
Kalavai panchayat officials point out that most of the storm water drains in the town are used to discharge household wastewater, which flows into the nearby lakes and ponds. The sewage treatment plant will help to end this illegal discharge of wastewater into the drains and pollution of the waterbodies. “The plant will be constructed in the village despite the opposition from the residents. They can appeal to the Collector,” says S. Jayakumar, executive officer of the Kalavai town panchayat.
Published – July 12, 2026 09:46 pm IST
