Can the Proposed Airport STP Truly Clean Coimbatore's Lifeline River?

Coimbatore, the vibrant industrial heart of Tamil Nadu, is grappling with a severe environmental challenge: the escalating pollution of its lifeline, the Noyyal River. A new initiative seeks to turn the tide, with a proposed 2 Million Litres per Day (MLD) Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) earmarked for construction near the Coimbatore International Airport.

While seemingly a step in the right direction, this plan has ignited a fervent debate among environmentalists and local residents who fear it might be too little, too late, to truly address the monumental scale of the problem.

The Noyyal River, once a pristine source of water for agriculture and numerous interconnected tanks, now bears the heavy burden of untreated urban and industrial wastewater.

Its degradation has not gone unnoticed, drawing the stern attention of the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The NGT, recognizing the critical ecological threat, had previously mandated the Coimbatore Corporation to implement robust measures to curb the relentless discharge of pollutants into the river and its associated water bodies.

In response, the Corporation unveiled its strategy centered around the new STP.

The plan involves diverting sewage from four key canals – the Airport Canal, Vellaikinar Canal, Singanallur-Pattanam Canal, and Karuppannar Canal – all currently contributing to the pollution of the Singanallur tank, which in turn feeds into the Noyyal River. The intention is clear: intercept and treat the sewage before it further contaminates these vital waterways.

However, this proposed solution is already facing significant skepticism.

Environmental activists and concerned citizens argue that a 2 MLD capacity STP, while beneficial, falls dramatically short of what's required to tackle the deluge of wastewater generated by a rapidly expanding urban agglomeration. "The problem is much larger than what this one STP can handle," asserts a veteran environmental activist.

"We're talking about sewage from residential areas, commercial establishments, and even various industrial units, all contributing to the pollution load in the Singanallur tank and subsequently the Noyyal."

Indeed, the challenge extends beyond the four identified canals. Experts point to a complex web of illegal sewage connections, inadequate existing infrastructure, and a lack of comprehensive waste segregation across the city as major contributors to the river's plight.

The untreated effluent, often a murky cocktail of domestic and industrial waste, flows unchecked into the Singanallur tank, transforming it into a reservoir of contamination rather than a source of fresh water. This contaminated water then flows downstream, further poisoning the Noyyal River.

Many are calling for a more holistic and ambitious approach.

They advocate for a network of larger capacity STPs strategically located across the city, coupled with stringent enforcement against illegal discharges and a robust public awareness campaign on waste management. A piecemeal solution, they warn, will only offer temporary relief, failing to address the root causes of the widespread pollution that threatens the very ecological balance of the region.

The future of the Noyyal River, and by extension, Coimbatore's water security and agricultural prosperity, hinges on effective and sustainable environmental management.

While the proposed STP is a start, the critical question remains: is it truly an adequate weapon in the fight to reclaim the river's purity, or will the persistent flow of pollution simply overwhelm this new effort? The city watches and hopes that a more comprehensive strategy will emerge to truly save its invaluable lifeline.