Sewerage and sanitation projects proposed for Kochi have been hit by a fund crunch and hold up of policy decision making.

The Kochi Corporation had earlier drawn up plans for setting up two projects in the city, one for central city and another one for the West Kochi areas. In both cases, the delay in implementing them had resulted in cost escalation, and the civic body is finding the going tough. The existing sewerage system of Kochi covers hardly five per cent of the total city area. The scheme was originally implemented in the early ’50s when Kochi was a municipality. The sewerage system has not progressed an inch since then, said a civic administrator.