State rights panel censures KWA on sewage issue

Thiruvananthapuram: The chairperson of the state human rights commission justice Antony Dominic has observed that the right of the people to live in a healthy and hygienic environment should not be denied. He made this observation in a directive given to the Kerala Water Authority (KWA).
The commission said this while considering a petition filed by a resident of LIC Lane, Pattom. The petitioner complained in the plea that the sewage coming through the drainage manhole is channelized to a drain via a pipe. However, the executive engineer of KWA sewerage division told the commission that it was with the consent of the resident that the sewage was channelized to the drain.
The KWA also stated that bucket cleaning will be done regularly, and the PVC pipes will also be placed to channelize sewage if there is an overflow. However, the petitioners alleged that the failure in doing timely cleaning and pumping was the key cause of the mess and also demanded immediate action on it. The commission has directed the executive engineer to find a permanent solution for the mess.