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Our Bureau

Thiruvananthapuram , Dec. 21

HELP is at hand for houseboat operators looking to manage the sewage produced onboard their boats.

The Thiruvananthapuram-based Transdot Pvt Ltd has introduced sewage treatment plants designed specially for houseboats.

Addressing a press conference here today, Mr M.R. Narayanan, Chairman and Managing Director, Transdot Pvt Ltd, said the company has developed two methods for dealing with the sewage produced by houseboats. Both options are eco-friendly and use a biological process to treat sewage, he explained.

The first option is a compact sewage treatment plant intended for houseboats that are still being built, he explained. This product can be customised to suit the requirements of the houseboat, depending on the number of bedrooms it has, he added.

These treatment plants can process between 1,000 and 1,800 litres of sewage a day and need 40 watts of power. The water obtained after the treatment process meets the standards stipulated by the Kerala State Pollution Control Board and can be discharged into the backwaters, Mr Narayanan explained.

For existing houseboats, the company has developed a land-based sewage treatment system that uses a `pump out' method, he said.

In this case, a sewage collection tank will be installed onboard the houseboat and waste will be removed using a portable pump mounted on a trolley, he explained.

Using this system, sewage can be pumped into the collection tank of a sewage treatment plant located on land, he added.

Kerala Tourism is planning to set up sewage treatment plants at several locations along the backwaters in the Alappuzha-Kumarakom area, and houseboats can discharge their waste at these plants, Mr Narayanan said.

Transdot's `pump out' mechanism is designed to match the systems that are likely to be installed at Kerala Tourism's sewage treatment plants, he added. In fact, the company's endeavour is to introduce a standard system for treating sewage produced by houseboats, he declared.

The company, which also has an electronics division, is planning a foray into water purification using a solar-based technology developed in the Netherlands.

Its sewage treatment division has installed treatment plants at hotels, resorts, hospitals and other large building complexes in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, the Maldives and Sri Lanka.

More Stories on : Shipping | Environment | Kerala | Pollution

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