Almost 1,500 days have passed since the 2018 great deluge that caused untold misery and destruction. However, with the passing of time, many of the flood's scars are healed now. But one thing that remains in abeyance is a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at H-Block (Kunnumma), a facility used by houseboats to empty septage.
In the absence of an operational waste treatment plant, many boats are reportedly discharging wastewater directly into Vembanad Lake, a designated Ramsar site, and rivers. The STP, operated by the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC), suffered severe damage in the floods. A few months later it was shut down after the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (PCB) found flaws in its functioning and rejected an application submitted by the DTPC for renewing its licence.
