The villagers are against the establishment of a sewage treatment plant near Arcot
Panchayat officials of Kalavai, which has a population of more than 20,000, were unable to find land in the town panchayat due to high costs. Hence, they have identified the land at Pindithangal, officials say.
Residents of Pindithangal village near Arcot in Ranipet district are against the establishment of a sewage treatment plant in the neighboring town of Kalavai panchayat in their village. They fear that the groundwater table will be contaminated in Pindithangal and the surrounding farming villages.
Residents say more than 3,000 families live in Pindithangal, which falls under Thimiri panchayat union. Most of the families depend on agriculture and weaving. The facility is designed to treat domestic sewage at Kalavai, about five km from Pindithangal.
Panchayat officials of Kalavai, which has a population of more than 20,000, were unable to find land in the town panchayat due to high costs. Hence, they have identified the land at Pindithangal, officials say.
Residents of Pindithangal point out that two lakes and several ponds in the village supply water for irrigation. “The sewage treatment plant can contaminate the groundwater in the area, affecting agriculture. Farmers in these villages, who cultivate at least 1,400 acres, depend on borewells and water bodies for irrigation,” says farmer R. Vembu.
In addition, water for domestic consumption comes from these water bodies. Local panchayats have sunk deep boreholes around the lakes to pump water into upper reservoirs for domestic consumption.
Kalavai panchayat officials say the plant will be set up on a 2.5-acre plot in the border area of the village under the Swachh Bharat Mission at a cost of ₹4.55 crore. It will clean wastewater mainly from households in the city and surrounding municipalities for a symbolic fee from each household. The recycled water will be used to water the plants.
The project is being implemented by Kannamangalam city panchayat. Panchayat officials say the scarcity of land within the city limits has forced them to identify a plot in the village for the plant.
Kalavai panchayat officials point out that most of the city’s stormwater drains are used to discharge domestic sewage, which flows into nearby lakes and ponds. The sewage treatment plant will help put an end to this illegal discharge of sewage into sewers and the pollution of waterways. “The factory will be built in the village despite opposition from the residents. They can approach the Collector,” says S. Jayakumar, executive director of Kalavai town panchayat.
Published – 12 Jul 2026 21:46 IST