As part of efforts to build and expand sewerage networks in urban local bodies in Kerala, topographical surveys will be carried out in municipalities and Corporations that lack coverage or have it only on a limited scale.
The Planning and Economic Affairs Department of the Kerala government has accorded administrative sanction for a proposal submitted by the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) to carry out the surveys in 28 urban local bodies for building sewerage networks.
Two municipalities each have been identified in the 14 districts based on Swachh Bharat Mission guidelines, as per the proposal prepared by WASCON, the consultancy wing of the KWA. In Thrissur district, the Thrissur Corporation is one of the two selected civic bodies. Additionally, topographical surveys and the preparation of detailed engineering reports (DER) for the Kochi, Kozhikode, Kollam and Kannur corporations form the second component of the proposal.
Differential global positioning system (DGPS) technology will be employed for conducting the survey in selected stretches of the municipalities and the corporations. A fund of ₹6 crore has been earmarked for the work.
Cutting pollution
''This work is proposed as part of the project of implementation of sewerage system in these areas, by which, it is expected to abate the pollution in water resources abutting these places, and also to comply with the directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to implement sewerage system in whole of the State in a time-bound manner,'' the Planning and Economic Affairs Department noted in the August 16 order according administrative sanction for the WASCON proposal.
The NGT had directed the States and the UTs to establish proper sewerage facilities since poor sewage management has resulted in large-scale pollution of water resources.
At present, the sewerage coverage of the KWA in the State is inadequate. A separate sewerage vertical was formed in the KWA in 2020 as part of addressing the shortcomings in this area and expanding the networks in various parts of the State.
