Alappuzha: The houseboat industry in the district is reeling under a severe crisis, unable to effectively dispose of tonnes of sewage being generated, which has invited the wrath of the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KPCB).
Forced to dole out large sums as penalties due to the non-functional sewage treatment plants (STPs) and the lack of any alternative arrangements, a section of houseboat operators are all set to hold protests, while the others have adopted a “wait and watch” policy in the hope that the government would soon come out with solutions.
“We’ll conduct a protest march to the District Tourism Promotion Council office (DTPC) here and a dharna in front of the District Collectorate on October 16. On one hand, the government is doing nothing to resolve the pollution issue and on the other, it levies huge penalties and cancels licenses. The same is affecting the survival of the houseboat industry here,” said Kevin Rozario, general secretary of the All Kerala Houseboat Owners and Operators’ Samiti.
As per the current provisions, the annual licence fee for operations will be renewed only if operators empty septage from their houseboats every three months.
However, the other three main houseboat owners’ associations have adopted a wait-and-watch policy. “A couple of days ago, the chief minister promised in Kochi entrusted the Chief Secretary to find a solution to the issue. Also, the tourism minister has called a meeting on the subject on October 12. We’ll decide our further plans only after this. We expect the government to interfere and take urgent steps to resolve the crisis,” said Jobin J Akkarakalam, Vice President of Kerala Houseboat Owners Federation.
According to the houseboat operators, three STPs at Kumarakom, H Block (Kunnumma), and Vattakayal do no function. The DTPC was forced to close down its STP at H Block in 2019 after the PCB found flaws in its functioning. It is yet to upgrade the facility. What has now further worsened the situation is the sudden stoppage of sewage collection by the DTPC using its barge. This forced the houseboat owners to depend on tanker lorries to remove the septage from houseboats.
“We’re incurring Rs 7000 additional expense for removal of the septage every time using tanker lorries,” Kevin rued.
‘DTPC to build new STP at Vattakayal’
Meanwhile, the DTPC is constructing a 35 KLD (Kilo Litres per Day) STP at Vattakayal.
“The Working Group sanction has been accorded to the project which will go a long way in addressing the septage disposal issue,” said Anoop Kumar K, DTPC secretary.
As a temporary measure, the collection of the sewage using a barge will resume will be resumed within a week and the same will be disposed of with the help of Kottayam DTPC. “The barge had developed a snag and the repair works are in progress. We hope to deploy it back in a week,” the official said.
