Mangaluru: To address public complaints about industrial wastewater from the Baikampady Industrial Area polluting the Phalguni River at Kuloor, the govt has decided to construct a treatment plant (STP). According to Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) officials, the proposed wastewater treatment plant will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 39 crore.The minister chaired a meeting at the deputy commissioner’s office with relevant officials to discuss measures to prevent pollution of the major rivers in the district, including Nethravati, Nandini, Phalguni and Shambhavi on Friday. During the meeting, the minister sought information regarding public complaints about industrial wastewater from the Baikampady industrial area polluting the river in Kuloor.Officials of the KIADB said a tender worth Rs 39 crore has been issued for constructing a treatment plant to manage waste in the Baikampady industrial area. Land has been reserved for this purpose, KIADB officials informed.Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) officials informed during the meeting that instructions have been given to provide underground drainage (UGD) facilities in the residential areas of Angaragundi and Kudumbur within the Baikampady industrial area and to connect the waste to the treatment plant near Baggundi of Thokur.The minister directed officials to immediately clear the encroachments on the riverbank in the Sultan Battery area, where construction debris has been dumped to occupy river space.“Take immediate action to restore the river’s original space by removing the illegal encroachments reported in the media, where construction debris was dumped on the riverbank at Sultan Battery,” the minister instructed officials.Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) commissioner Ravichandra Naik informed that a police case has already been filed against those who illegally occupied the riverbank by dumping construction debris. KSPCB and Coastal Regulation Zone officials informed the meeting that a report has already been submitted to the concerned parties after visiting the site.Pollution in the Nandini River at Mukka in Surathkal has already been controlled. The city corporation’s waste treatment plant has been upgraded, and polluted water from private entities has decreased, according to Pollution Control Board officials.
