Minister for Local Self-Governments M.B. Rajesh inaugurates the construction of an Omni processor at the sewage treatment plant at Muttathara. Mayor Arya Rajendran is seen.
The construction work on an Omni processor, as part of the second phase development of the sewage treatment plant at Muttathara run by the Thiruvananthapuram city Corporation, was launched on Wednesday.
The Omni processor is used for the treatment of the sludge accumulated in the plant and to convert the faecal sludge into clean water and electricity.
Minister for Local Self-Governments M.B. Rajesh inaugurated the construction activities at a function presided over by Mayor Arya Rajendran.
Funded by BMGF
Mr. Rajesh said that the government or the local body would not have to spend any funds for the work as the ₹36 crore project was proposed to be implemented through funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). He said that the foundation had initially planned to implement the project in Hyderabad, but effective interventions from the State government and the Suchitwa Mission brought it to Kerala.
One of the initial challenges was to get clearance from the Airport Authority of India (AAI). Although there were concerns that the project would have to be relocated due to this, following the State government’s intervention, the AAI’s clearance was obtained.
The Omni processor technology was developed by Washington-based Janicki Bioenergy. The energy generated from the processor by treating the sludge can be used to run the plant.
The Muttathara plant, with a capacity to treat 107 million litres a day (mld) of sewage, was set up in 2013 at a cost of ₹80 crore. Sewage from around 40 of the 100 wards in Thiruvananthapuram city Corporation reaches the STP directly through a piped network, while from the rest of the areas, it is brought in tankers.
Published – September 24, 2025 08:59 pm IST
