The Kerala Water Authority (KWA) is moving ahead with a Rs 45 crore tertiary sewage recycling project at Muttathara in Thiruvananthapuram, aiming to supply treated wastewater to large institutional and industrial consumers and reduce pressure on the city’s freshwater network. The project has received administrative sanction and is now in the tendering stage.
The proposed facility will have a treatment capacity of 15 million litres a day (MLD). It will further treat partially treated sewage effluent from the existing 107 MLD sewage treatment plant at Muttathara, using advanced treatment technology to make the water suitable for non-drinking purposes subject to prescribed quality standards.
The existing plant currently generates about 60 MLD of partially treated sewage effluent that could undergo additional treatment. However, the proposed facility will process only 15 MLD, meaning it will cover a portion of the available output rather than recycle the entire volume produced by the existing plant.
The airport, Railways, Titanium, Veli Industrial Estate and Technopark have been identified as prospective consumers. A KWA engineer said discussions had been held with these establishments and that they had agreed to purchase the recycled water if the authority ensured a reliable supply through pipelines.
The project was initially planned to transport the recycled water to consumers by tankers. During the final rounds of discussions, the prospective buyers sought direct pipeline connections. KWA has consequently included a network extending around 10 kilometres in the project plan.
The tariff for the treated water has not yet been finalised. Supply agreements with the prospective consumers also remain to be completed. The quantity supplied to each establishment will depend on the final agreements and the availability of treated water from the new facility.
The project is intended to help major establishments meet part of their non-drinking water requirements without depending entirely on conventional freshwater supplies. According to the KWA engineer, rising economic activity, new industries, services and shopping centres have increased demand for water, while the authority faces particular difficulty maintaining supply during peak summer periods.
By supplying recycled water to commercial and industrial users, the proposed arrangement could leave more conventional freshwater available for households and other consumers. Its effectiveness, however, will depend on the treatment plant’s construction, the completion of the pipeline network, quality compliance and the final commercial terms agreed with buyers.
The construction start date will be fixed after the tender is finalised. The project schedule provides 12 months for construction once work begins.
