The Coimbatore Corporation, PSG & Sons’ Charities, and Siruthuli signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Friday to establish a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for developing, demonstrating and scaling sustainable solutions for wastewater treatment, water reuse, solid waste management and ecological restoration.

The Centre, to be housed at PSG Institute of Technology and Applied Research (PSG iTech), Neelambur, will undertake research, technology development, pilot projects, field demonstrations and impact assessment studies. It will also promote capacity building through training programmes, student internships, technical publications, seminars and policy advocacy.

The CoE will focus on decentralised sewage treatment systems, including nature-based solutions such as constructed wetlands, phytoremediation, phyco-remediation, bioremediation and stabilisation ponds. Other focus areas include water reuse, monitoring of water bodies and groundwater, solid waste management, pollution prevention and policy research.

Under the agreement, the Corporation will identify priority environmental and waste management challenges, facilitate pilot interventions, provide space for approved projects and establish designated collection centres in each zone for bulky household waste. PSG will lead scientific research, laboratory analysis and technology validation, while Siruthuli will coordinate field implementation, stakeholder engagement, documentation and mobilisation of CSR funding.

A Joint Coordination Committee, chaired by the Corporation Commissioner, will oversee the Centre’s functioning. The agreement does not create any financial obligation on the Corporation, with PSG & Sons’ Charities and Siruthuli bearing the operational costs of the Centre.

Corporation Commissioner Katta Ravi Teja said rapid urbanisation had increased wastewater generation, making it challenging to expand treatment infrastructure. He said the Centre of Excellence would help develop innovative and scalable solutions for wastewater management. He added that the Corporation was also undertaking a wastewater management study with a Germany-based organisation to guide future projects.

Siruthuli Managing Trustee Vanitha Mohan said many of the city’s streams, which once carried clean water, now carried sewage. She said the initiative had evolved from the rejuvenation of the Gandhimanagar stream, where about 3.5 km had been desilted with funding from PSG, and expressed hope that similar interventions would be implemented across the city.

Following the signing of the MoU, a symposium on sustainable water and waste management brought together representatives of government agencies, technology providers, industries and academic institutions to discuss sustainable approaches to wastewater and solid waste management.

Published - July 31, 2026 07:49 pm IST