An earthmover at work at the site of the proposed 5-MLD sewage treatment plant near Chinnavedampatti lake in Coimbatore on Wednesday.
The Coimbatore Corporation began construction of a five-million-litres-per-day (MLD) sewage treatment plant (STP) near Chinnavedampatti lake on Wednesday (July 8) after the Madras High Court disposed of a writ petition challenging the facility.The STP is a key component of the ₹318.9 crore underground sewerage scheme for the areas of Chinnavedampatti, Saravanampatti, and Vellakinar. The scheme comprises three sewage pumping mains and six sewage pumping stations to collect wastewater and convey it to the proposed treatment plant.The writ petition, filed by V.S. Kailasamy, challenged G.O. (4D) No. 50 of the Water Resources Department, dated May 30, 2025, and sought to restrain the authorities from constructing or operating the STP and from discharging treated or untreated sewage into or in the vicinity of Chinnavedampatti lake.When the matter came up for hearing, the Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan recorded the submission of the Additional Advocate-General that the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) had granted consent for the project on May 6, 2026, enabling the authorities to proceed. The petitioner’s counsel subsequently sought permission to withdraw the writ petition with liberty to approach the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for appropriate relief.Accepting the request, the High Court, in its order dated June 29, 2026, permitted the withdrawal of the petition with liberty to approach the NGT and disposed of the case.According to the Corporation, the treatment plant will adopt Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) technology. The treated effluent will be disinfected in accordance with NGT norms, while its quality will be monitored continuously through an Online Continuous Effluent Monitoring System (OCEMS) linked to the TNPCB and the Central Pollution Control Board.The Corporation initially proposed to discharge the treated water into Chinnavedampatti lake. However, the proposal has since been revised, and about five MLD of treated water will instead be discharged into the outlet canal of Chinnavedampatti lake and flow up to Sulur lake.Corporation officials said the work on the STP will be completed within a year. Published - July 08, 2026 09:12 pm IST
