Almost 1,500 days have passed since the 2018 great deluge that caused untold misery and destruction. However, with the passing of time, many of the flood's scars are healed now. But one thing that remains in abeyance is a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at H-Block (Kunnumma), a facility used by houseboats to empty septage.
In the absence of an operational waste treatment plant, many boats are reportedly discharging wastewater directly into Vembanad Lake, a designated Ramsar site, and rivers. The STP, operated by the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC), suffered severe damage in the floods. A few months later it was shut down after the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (PCB) found flaws in its functioning and rejected an application submitted by the DTPC for renewing its licence.
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Though the DTPC launched work to upgrade the plant, it is yet to be made operational. As a temporary solution, the DTPC, earlier this year, deployed a specialised boat (sewage barge) for collecting septage from houseboats in Alappuzha. But houseboat operators maintain that the single barge is grossly inadequate to cater to a high number of vessels on the backwaters. A section of the operators has accused authorities of deliberately delaying the reopening of the STP after colluding with a private sewage barge operator.
"It is mandatory for all houseboats to empty septage every three months in order to renew the annual licence for operation. With no proper waste treatment facilities available in the district, we are finding it difficult to dispose of septage and renew our licence. When the STP was functional, we used to empty septage by paying a fee of around ₹2,500. The private barge is charging ₹4,500 per boat for collecting waste. The inordinate delay in reopening the STP points to collusion between the authorities and the private player," says Kevin Rozario, general secretary, All Kerala Houseboat Owners and Operators Samiti.
Meanwhile, District Collector V.R. Krishna Teja said the upgrading of the waste treatment plant at H-Block was nearing completion and it would be opened within a month. “The work has reached the final stages. Only a few finishing works are pending. It is likely to be made operational within a month,” Mr. Teja said.
