Arrangements made to let out treated sewage into Phalguni river downstream the Maravoor vented dam: Mangaluru Mayor

Mangaluru Mayor announces installation of two 60 HP pump-sets at Pachchanadi STP to pump secondary treated sewage downstream Maravoor Vented Dam, preventing flow of treated/ untreated sewage into Phalguni (Gurupura) river.

Mangaluru Mayor Sudheer Shetty Kannur on November 27, said the Mangaluru City Corporation will install two 60 HP pump-sets at its Pachchanadi Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) to pump secondary treated sewage downstream the Maravoor Vented Dam built across Phalguni (Gurupura) river.

Speaking to reporters during his visit to the STP, from where considerable quantity of treated/ untreated sewage was flowing into the vented dam, Mr. Kannur said the Corporation has already laid a pipeline from the STP to downstream of the dam to discharge secondary treated sewage.

However, the sewage was not flowing through the pipeline by gravity and hence MCC decided to construct a pump-house with two 60 HP pumps to pump about 2.5 million litres per day (MLD) of treated sewage into the river. Once the pumps are commissioned, there would be no complaint of the treated sewage joining the vented dam, a source of drinking water for many villages around Mangaluru.

Mr. Kannur said Pachchanadi STP received about 6.5 MLD primary treated sewage from the city. Of this, 4 MLD was sent to the tertiary treatment plant at Pilikula. The remaining 2.5 MLD secondary treated water was joining the vented dam thereby giving rise to many complaints. The Corporation therefore planned a separate pipeline to the river downstream to let out the secondary treated water.

The Mayor said in the recent MCC Council meetings, members of the ruling as well as opposition parties have urged the Council to take effective steps to prevent flow of sewage into the riverine system around the city. Consequently, he has been visiting various STPs to chalk out suitable strategy.

Mr. Kannur further said the Corporation has invited tenders for maintaining the Pachchanadi STP round the clock, at an estimated cost of ₹1.3 crore. Such a measure should prevent any flow of treated/ untreated sewage into the river, he said.

The National Green Tribunal had taken cognisance of The Hindu’s report, dated April 26, 2022, about the fish kill in Phalguni river due to pollution and initiated a suo motu case against MCC and others. The Tribunal had constituted a committee to look into the ways to prevent flow of untreated domestic and industrial sewage into Phalguni and Netravathi.