<![CDATA[The Muvattupuzha police arrested two men who were emptying a tanker truck loaded with sewage into a water body. The accused, Niyas and Ansar of Edakochi, were arrested while dumping sewage into the Kuryathode lift irrigation minor canal, a project operated by the Valakom grama panchayat. The police also seized the tanker truck. The two were booked under the provisions of the Panchayati Raj Act and produced before a magistrate. Meanwhile, the seized vehicle was produced before the sub-divisional magistrate at Muvattupuzha. Meanwhile, the Muvattupuzha police have intensified night patrol following complaints from local residents of sewage being regularly dumped into water bodies. Private trucks loaded with sewage are disposing it of in water bodies on the sly, mostly under the cover of night. The disposal of sewage, collected by private agencies from city homes and commercial establishments, into drains and canals had led to protests by residents in the past. The inadequate sewage treatment facility in Kochi, which is limited to the plant functioning at Brahmapuram, has added to the crisis. Less than five places in the city are covered by sewage lines connected to the treatment facility at Kadavanthra, while another unit on Willingdon Island is yet to become operational. According to the police, cleaners operate in the dead of the night and dump waste through hose into canals or abandoned land, resulting in unbearable stench and clogged drains.]]>
