Kochi: The frequent shutting down of the comfort station at the main Ernakulam KSRTC depot due to overflowing of septic waste from storage tank is posing severe difficulty to commuters. With the authorities failing to take any permanent measures to address the issue, there is a threat of the septic waste overflowing into the bus-bays and waiting area upon the commencement of the monsoon season, due by this month-end. "The toilet complex was shut down on Sunday after the septic waste leaked and flowed into the garage area. It remained so for the whole of Monday too. Many affected passengers, especially ladies, were seen going to the near-by hotels for their basic needs," said an employee.
Last month too, the sole toilet complex at the depot was closed for over a week after the district suchitwa mission issued a closure notice after septic waste flowed into the stand premise and garage. Mayor Soumini Jain had personally visited the depot and directed the authorities to take measures on a war-footing. She also promised all help from the Corporation's side. When contacted, District Transport Officer S Mehboob acknowledged that setting up of a new high capacity septic tank is the only solution to the problem.
"The root cause of the problem is leakage of drainage water from the nearby canal into the septic tank which results in its quick filling up and overflowing. We've signed a pact with a new contractor to remove the waste water on a daily basis as a short term solution," the officer said. He added that a proposal has been sent to the Corporation's civil engineering wing for setting up a new septic tank in addition to the existing one lakh litre capacity one. Currently, the Corporation is incurring an expense of Rs 60, 000 per month for removal of the waste water using contractors.
