Tender for first of four STPs to be floated in March

Facilities part of ₹528-crore IURWTS project

Tenders are set to be invited in March for the first of four sewage treatment plants (STPs) envisaged in the city, as part of the ₹528-crore Integrated Urban Regeneration and Water Transport System (IURWTS) project.

The first STP will be readied on the three-acre premises of the STP set up half a century ago at Elamkulam in the city, within two years of the completion of the tender process. The others were mooted at Vennala, Muttar and on one end of Perandoor, all located away from populated areas, said official sources. The plants will have a capacity to treat 31 million litres per day (mld) of sewage, covering over 40% of Kochi city.

“Their DPR has been handed over to the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board [KIIFB] for funding. The Kerala Water Authority [KWA], which was selected as the nodal agency, will implement the projects, while Kochi Metro Rail Limited [KMRL], which is spearheading the IURWTS, will step in with help whenever needed. The extent of areas that will be brought under the STP cover might be increased, as sought by the KWA. The focus for now is on the catchment areas of the canals that will be regenerated as part of IURWTS,” sources said.