Ondipudur STP commissioning in Coimbatore faces delays

Residents of Chinna Ayyavu Layout in Coimbatore have been waiting for underground drainage (UGD) connections for a decade. Although new pipelines were laid six years ago for apartments and houses in the area, they remain unused. The Ondipudur Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) has not yet started operating, leaving residents to hire tanker trucks to empty their septic tanks daily. V Vadivel, president of a local apartment association, expressed frustration. "We have been hiring trucks since 2011, spending a lot to clear waste. Our issues could have been resolved if the corporation had connected the UGD pipelines to our septic tanks six years ago," he said. He called on the city corporation to expedite the commissioning of the STP. The construction of the Ondipudur STP was funded by both state and central governments as part of a national urban development scheme. Although the construction was finished in 2015, the STP has not yet begun operations. City corporation commissioner M Sivaguru Prabakaran noted the challenge of laying additional pipelines along busy roads. He mentioned that they have received applications from 600 residents for connections and set a target for 20,000 UGD connections by the end of April. Once those connections are made, the Ondipudur STP is expected to be commissioned. The city currently handles 2 million liters of wastewater daily from the Noyyal River at the STP, while the Ukkadam STP processes 30 million liters daily. Treated water is also used for various industries and sent to farmers around the city.