Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.
“Waste water is a curse for the people here. It is in our drinking water, our roads, backyards and everywhere else,” said Navas TS, a resident and former ward member of Brahmapuram.
A part of Ernakulam’s Vadavucode Puthencruz Grama Panchayat, Brahmapuram village, which borders the Kunnathunad Grama Panchayat, faces a severe wastewater crisis. Primarily known for the 108-acre solid waste treatment plant and landfill operated by the Kochi Corporation, Brahmapuram is infamous for a massive fire outbreak in 2023, triggering debate on the need for better waste management.
Now, years of untreated sewage discharge and indiscriminate waste dumping by the nearby Kent Mahal apartment complex have pushed residents of the nearby areas to protest.
Residents, who have been protesting in front of the apartment complex for over 20 days, say that wells in the surrounding area have become contaminated. Many who depend on the nearby Kadamparayar river for drinking water allege recurring health issues, including jaundice.
Those living in houses immediately adjacent to the apartment complex say that they are now forced to purchase water from external sources to meet their daily needs, pushing several of them into financial strain.
A crisis that never seems to end
According to residents, the sewage crisis began nearly a decade ago and directly affects more than 400 families living within a one-kilometre radius of the apartment complex, and a stream that joins the Kadamprayar River.
Kent Mahal is a residential apartment complex comprising 450 flats across six blocks. Residents of Brahmapuram allege that sewage water from the apartments is discharged into a private property through a channel running along the rear side of the complex.
Directly behind Kent Mahal is a narrow road that leads to a private property. The wastewater flows along this route and is discharged onto the adjacent private land. From there, it spreads across other properties and eventually enters a network of small streams, which ultimately enter the Kadamparayar River.
“I was born and brought up here. Now our well is completely unusable. The water is as dark as charcoal,” said Pathu, a 64-year-old who lives adjacent to the Kent Mahal apartments. She said that they have been facing this crisis for a decade with no remedy.
The monsoons have made it worse for them, added Pathu. “Whenever it rains, the polluted water flows into our yard. If we walk through it, our feet begin to itch and develop irritation. The smell is also unbearable sometimes,” she said.
She also said that, in the past, people from the surrounding area used to collect drinking water from her well, and now, she is forced to buy water.
According to Pathu, water is occasionally supplied by local authorities, including the panchayat, to help them. “I, along with my sick mother, are surviving solely on a welfare pension, and we are unable to bear the cost of purchasing water regularly,” she added.
Many residents face similar issues.
Benny TG, who lives in the vicinity, said that it has been 15 years since the apartment complex was opened. Initially, there was only one tower and a few families. Over time, three more towers were built, which caused wastewater to be discharged directly onto the road, flowing through a small drain into a nearby pond.
“This caused a huge issue for us as the sewage water flows in front of our houses. It creates a foul smell. Mosquitos also spread,” said 56-year-old Benny. He further mentioned that many people in the area suffered from jaundice during 2018.
As many residents face similar issues due to this waste discharge, they eventually blocked the flow by constructing a concrete barrier to stop the water from flowing. But Kent Mahal allegedly diverted the flow via the rear side of the complex, pushing the wastewater into a private property, explained residents.
‘Lapse in sewage treatment by Kent Mahal’
According to Navas, Kent Mahal’s Sewage Treatment Plant is sufficient only for one tower, which they made during the initial construction. “Their plant has a capacity of 1.5 lakh litres of water. But they discharge around 4 lakhs litres of water per day,” he alleged.
He also mentioned that, earlier, Kent Mahal had obtained a Population Control Board (PCB) clearance certificate, but recently, the health department conducted a test on the discharged waste and found coliform bacteria in it.
On May 20, the Vadavukod Health Centre submitted a report to the panchayat after two samples of the discharged water were collected and sent to the Government Regional Public Health Laboratory in Ernakulam for examination.
“Based on the test results, it is understood that the water being discharged is contaminated/polluted,” the health inspector’s letter. The letter also asked for immediate intervention and resolution in the matter.
The secretary of the Kent Mahal apartment, who did not wish to be named, refuted the allegations of contamination when TNM contacted her.
She shared a lab analysis report of an effluent sample submitted by the Kent Mahal Owners Association. The sample was tested in a lab approved by the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB).
The test results show that the water quality parameters, including pH, suspended solids (TSS), biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and oil and grease, are all within the limits prescribed by KSPCB.
Addressing the contradiction in both reports, KK Sajeev, health inspector in charge of Vadavukod Health Centre told TNM that this issue has persisted for quite some time, and the Health Department already gave instructions to the Kent Mahal association about a year ago. It was when the problem worsened again, that residents alerted the health department.
“We collected samples and sent them for testing to both the Government Analytical Laboratory and the Regional Laboratory. Two samples were taken, and both showed a very high presence of coliform bacteria. Therefore, the water must be considered contaminated,” he said.
When asked about the contradictory report from Kent Mahal, he explained, “The apartment association may have had it tested at another institution for their own purposes and might have received a different report. We have no vested interest in this matter. We do not differentiate between Kent Mahal residents and the local residents. Our responsibility is to investigate any complaint we receive. Upon investigation, we found the complaint to be valid.”
He also added that regardless of whether the water is contaminated or clean, it is unjustifiable to discharge it onto someone else's property or onto a public road.
Sajeev further said that a residential facility must have the necessary pollution-control systems in place or adequate capacity to manage its wastewater.
“Based on our preliminary assessment, it appears that Kent Mahal does not have such capacity,” he added.
Residents protest
Residents of the area say that a strong protest movement against the issue began in 2018. Later, in 2019, an individual named Alexander, who lives in the area, filed a petition in the Kerala High Court. In the last 20 days, affected residents have once again intensified their protest in front of Kent Mahal.
Alexander is the owner of the property through which the road that leads to the waste discharge point passes. Subsequently, the owner of another property through which the water flows also became a party to Alexander’s case. Later, in 2021, the panchayat was added as a party as well, and now, the neighbouring Kunnathunad Panchayat is also planning to join as a party.
“We thought this was an issue only affecting the Vadavucode Puthencruz Grama Panchayat. But later in this year, we realised that people who live on the border are also affected. So we decided to join in the petition,” said Unas, a former ward member of the Kunnathunad Grama Panchayat.
In April, the High Court issued an interim order stating that if drainage canals can be interconnected and ultimately discharged into a river, then such an arrangement can be permitted.
“There shall be a direction to verify whether the drain on the left side of the road extends all the way to the main drain leading to the river; and if so, to take immediate steps to connect the two drains as noted by the Advocate Commissioner, and to permit the Builder and the Association to discharge the treated effluent through the said drains,” the court order reads.
The Kent secretary said that the Panchayat has to reopen the concrete barrier that blocks the drainage.
However, residents claimed that even if the barrier was broken, the wastewater would drain into a nearby pond and not end up in the river.
TNM contacted the Pollution Control Board in Perumbavoor, Ernakulam, but did not receive any response. This story will be updated if and when we get a response.