Kerala Tourism department allocates ₹97.28 lakh for sewage barge to manage houseboat waste in Alappuzha

Kerala Tourism allocates funds for sewage barge to address waste disposal challenges faced by Alappuzha houseboat operators.

The Kerala Tourism department has sanctioned ₹97.28 lakh to the Alappuzha District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) for purchasing a barge to collect sewage from houseboats in the district.

The decision to buy a sewage barge comes at a time when houseboat operators are finding it difficult to empty septage from vessels. Officials said the new barge would have 10,000 litre capacity.

“The barge will collect wastewater from houseboats. We will charge a fee from boat operators. In the initial days, the waste collected will be treated at a sewage treatment plant (STP) of the Kottayam DTPC. Once the upgradation of the treatment plant in Alappuzha is completed, the waste will treated here itself,” said a DTPC official.

It is mandatory for all houseboats to empty septage at an STP every three months to renew their annual operating licences. The waste treatment plant operated by the DTPC at H-Block (Kunnumma) suffered damage during the 2018 floods. It was subsequently shut down after the Kerala State Pollution Control Board found flaws in its functioning. Though the DTPC launched work to upgrade the plant, it is yet to be operationalised. In the absence of a functional STP, vessels are finding it hard to empty waste.

In 2022, the DTPC deployed a sewage barge belonging to the Kottayam DTPC to collect waste from houseboats in Alappuzha. The barge used to visit the houseboat terminal at Punnamada Finishing Point and collect waste from vessels before transporting it to Kottayam for treatment. It, however, stopped operations in 2023. As a result, many boats reportedly discharge wastewater directly into Vembanad Lake, a designated Ramsar site, and rivers, while some vessels empty septage using tanker lorries.

“We welcome the decision to deploy a dedicated barge in Alappuzha to collect waste from houseboats. We have been finding it difficult to empty waste in the absence of a functional STP. The sewage barge will address the issue to a large extent. The government should also initiate steps to reopen the STP at H-Block without delay,” said Kevin Rozario, general secretary, All Kerala Houseboat Owners and Operators’ Samiti.