KOCHI: The Kochi corporation health wing has closed down two hotels with immediate effect in Ponnurunni after it was found that they were discharging untreated waste to Punchathode canal.
The illegal activity came to the health wing’s attention after a vigilant resident on Thursday captured the visuals of hotels discharging untreated waste directly into the canal in broad daylight on his mobile phone. This was soon shared with the Kochi corporation officials.
“Our team soon reached the restaurants Aryaas and Thakkaram at Ponnurunni and closed it down by issuing a stop memo. They have to implement all the measures, including setting up of sewage treatment plants (STPs), to treat the waste generated in the respective hotels within seven days,” said a corporation health official.
The official said that if the hotels fail to take corrective measures, then the health department will impose a fine of Rs 50,000 to each hotel considering the gravity of the crime since it is polluting the waterbody. If they implement the treatment measures and approach us to resume hotel operations, then they will still have to pay a fine of maximum Rs 10,000 for dumping of untreated waste into the canal.
After the city witnessed heavy flooding due to pre-monsoon rains, the Kerala High Court and Kochi corporation authorities had said that dumping of waste into drains is one of the major causes for flooding. Despite warnings, the practice of dumping waste into the canals continues unchecked.
The officer also admitted that dumping of waste by hotels into the stormwater drains and canals is a major concern and is one of the main reasons for flooding in the area when there is heavy rainfall. “When they release food waste containing oil, all purpose flour, cooked rice and other items continuously in the summer, a form of deposit is developed in the drains due to the sticky nature of the waste. When there is rain, the flow of water in the drains is obstructed by the deposit,” said the official.
The local body had served notice to 52 hotels last year for not setting up STP.
Manoj Panakkal, vice president of Ernakulam merchants chamber said hotels and restaurants discharging untreated waste to the drains is rampant in the city. “Kochi city has started to experience heavy flooding from the past four or five years. One of the main reasons for this situation is dumping of waste into drains by the hotels. It is up to the authorities to ensure that hotels set up STPs and keep it functional. There are several hotels which do not have space to set up STPs and they directly discharge waste to the drains,” he said.
