Located in Ward 12, Chinnavedampatti tank receives water through a feeder canal that stretches over 9.5 km. | Photo credit: SPL
The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has rejected Coimbatore Corporation’s application to build a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) near Chinnavedampatti Reservoir as norms were not followed, farmers opposed to the project have learnt.
During May 2025, the water resources department issued an order permitting the company to construct a 9.95 MLD capacity STP subject to certain conditions.
In view of insufficient rainfall and lack of water flow into the reservoir, especially during dry periods, in recent years, the WRD stated in its regulation that the proposed initiative to recharge the reservoir using treated wastewater is a strategic and sustainable solution that can address the water shortage while increasing the ecological balance of the reservoir. According to WRD, after treatment, the water will be treated in a tertiary treatment plant and finally the treated water will be released into the Chinnavedampatti reservoir, which will contribute to groundwater recharge.
WRD’s assurance was that the treated wastewater would be free of pollutants, pathogens and excess nutrients, improving the overall quality of groundwater and agricultural land in the surrounding areas.
Farmers opposing the project said the very purpose behind creating the 200-acre lake by acquiring land from farmers under the Land Acquisition Act in the 1980s was to store fresh water accumulated by rainfall from the Western Ghats by constructing a check dam at Kanuvai and creating a 60 feet to 8 km supply channel.
According to them, the reservoir, which is located near Saravanampatti, was created during the 1980s in an area of about 200 acres to serve as a reservoir for the Coimbatore North area and mitigate flooding into the Sanganoor canal during the monsoon season. Located in Ward 12, the tank receives water through a feeder canal of over 9.5 km, originating from Kanuvai and passing through Thadagam, Mangarai, Pannimadai and Somayampalayam.
Farmers are completely against the project, fearing groundwater contamination. During a recent monthly meeting to redress farmers’ grievances, Vellakinar Kalisamy, president of Chinnavedampatti Eri Padukappu Vivasayigal Sangam, questioned the reasons behind the corporation to implement the project without TNPCB sanction.
The condition set by the WRD was that the project must be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the TNPCB and the Sewerage and Wastewater Treatment Plant Manual issued in 2013 by the Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation.
“In the event of any public objection to the WWTP and the storage of treated wastewater in the tank, the permit will be revoked without prior notice,” states one of the conditions.
Mr. Kalisamy used IIPGCMS (Integrated and Inclusive Public Grievance CM Helpline Management System) to report the issue.
The TNPCB, it is learnt, insisted on following its 2008 norms that the VTP should be at least 250 meters away from any lake or pond, preferably on the lower side of the lake or pond to prevent sewage from entering water bodies. The TNPCB emphasized that a preliminary assessment of the opinion of the public/residents in the vicinity adjacent to the location of the VTP site is necessary.
Published – 03 Jan 2026 20:23 IST
