The Apartment Owners Apex Association (Kerala) has suggested connecting old and small apartment complexes with the proposed sewer network project sanctioned by the government for Kochi as an alternative to the direction issued by the State Pollution Control Board to set up individual units in each apartment complex.
The four-member panel set up by the Kerala High Court in the case pertaining to the pollution of the Thevara-Perandoor canal will, among other aspects, consider the plea by the association to resolve the issue by opting for a centralised network rather than going for decentralised units, especially in apartment complexes facing space crunch to install sewage treatment plants (STPs).
The court told the panel, which includes the Local Self-Government department Principal Secretary, State Pollution Control Board chairperson, Kerala Water Authority Managing Director, and the Kochi Corporation secretary, to study the issues raised in the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the association and other petitions to find a long-term solution to sewage pollution.
The association had quoted a government order dated May 10, 2025, that referred to the establishment of STPs, sewer network, sanitation facilities, and solid waste management as components of the Integrated Urban Regeneration and Water Transport System (IURWTS) project for the development of canals in Kochi.
The setting up of four STPs at Vennala, Muttar, Perandoor, and Elamkulam and the connected sewer lines catering to the minimum requirements of the canals were included in the project at a cost of ₹393.13 crore.
The PIL had said that the sewer networking proposed by the Kochi Corporation/Kerala Water Authority would be completed by the time each of the old apartment complexes completed the formalities and obtained consent to operate the STPs.
Published – September 29, 2025 09:20 pm IST
