Villagers Fear Sewage Plant Pollution

Residents in Pennathur village, near Vellore Corporation, are raising concerns over the establishment of a new Sewage Treatment Plant (STP). The proposed facility, slated for a three-acre plot at the village border and costing ₹5.8 crore, aims to treat wastewater from Mettupalayam hamlet and nearby villages. However, local families, many of whom rely on agriculture and dairy farming, fear the plant will pollute the groundwater and surface water sources.

The village's agricultural sector depends on borewells and two lakes, alongside several ponds, which supply water for irrigating approximately 800 acres of cultivated land. Residents are concerned that contamination of these water bodies will severely impact their livelihoods. Water for domestic consumption is also drawn from these sources, with local panchayats sinking deep borewells to supply Over Head Tanks.

Officials stated the new plant, funded under the Swachh Bharat Mission, will halt the current practice of discharging raw sewage into storm water drains, which currently pollutes nearby lakes and ponds. The treated recycled water is intended for watering plants along roadsides. This initiative seeks to improve sanitation by providing a designated treatment facility.