The Hindu      24.03.2017 

‘Bengaluru reuses a meagre 1% of its wastewater’

Bengaluru generates 1,400 million litres of sewage every day.K. Murali KumarK_MURALI_KUMAR  

Claim made during debate on ‘Wastewater-a curse or an untapped resource?’

The State is reeling under the impact of a drought year, reservoir levels have plummeted and Bengaluru is staring at an impending water crisis. Yet, of the 1,400 million litres a day (MLD) of sewage generated in the city, a meagre 1% is reused.

A day after ‘World Water Day’ was observed, the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) had organised a discussion on ‘Wastewater-a curse or an untapped resource?’ on Thursday. It revealed how Bengaluru is failing to take what could be a small step towards resolving its water woes.

“We are in the 21st century, with infrastructure of the 20th century, administration of the 19th century and mindset of the 18th century. The concept of treating waste water was thought of only around 1980. Even now, Bengaluru is functioning with half the treatment capacity,” said Sharachchandra Lele, Senior Fellow and Convenor, Centre for Environment and Development, ATREE.

Pointing out the dangers of not having standards for what irrigation water must look like or the presence of heavy metals in water, he said most farmers today are picking up water coming from a city upstream for irrigation. “We are only tagging water bodies (the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board grades the city’s lakes based on water quality). But what is the desired quality of water?”

Instead of clearly fixing responsibility on urban local bodies, it was being pushed on to citizens, he said, referring to apartment complexes being told to install sewage treatment plants (STPs).

“People don’t know the value of fresh water as they have unlimited access to ground water,” he added.

Also indicating the lack of awareness about water scarcity, Priyanka Jamwal, Fellow, Water, Land and Society Programme, ATREE, said, “Everyone is equally exposed to poor quality air, but some can flush down poor quality water to downstream areas. What city dwellers need to be made aware of is that it will come back to them in the milk and vegetables that they consume.” Durba Biswas, Fellow, Water, Land and Society Programme spoke about how the high and mid-income level houses mitigate the effects of poor quality water, but poorer households have no access or means to do the same.

Poor infrastructure

Priyanka Jamwal, Fellow, Water, Land and Society Programme, ATREE said it is not the lack of technology that is a barrier; rather, it is the lack of capacity and manpower equipped with the right knowledge.

By the estimates of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), the capacity to treat the 1,400 MLD of sewage generated in Bengaluru is 721 MLD. The average treatment quantity is 520 MLD. “Even in the Vrushabhavathi Valley Treatment Plant, one of the oldest in the city, the quality of effluents does not meet standards,” she said.

The Times of India        30.12.2014 

City to get 2 sewage treatment plants

Bareilly: With a view to curb the discharge of tonnes of household waste through drains into the Ramganga river, the Bareilly Municipal Corporation and Jal Nigam have decided to set up two sewage treatment plants in the city.

The plants will be set up in the Sarai Tulfi and Nakatia areas, from where most of the waste falls into the river through drains.

The project, with an estimated budget of Rs 70 crore, comes under the ambit of the central government scheme - National Ganga River Basin Authority (NRGBA).

"In the absence of sewage treatment plants, the drains dump waste in the Ramganga. The whole process ends up polluting Ganga as Ramganga is its tributary," said Sheeldhar Yadav, municipal commissioner.

Yadav said that the authorities are almost done with the detailed project report (DPR) and would soon send it to the central government for approval. The construction work will begin after the approval.

"Sewage treatment plants would re-use the water or waste discharged from the sewer lines and drains," the municipal commissioner said.

TOI had earlier reported that Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) officials claimed that domestic waste is a major source of pollution for the Ramganga. More than 80% of the waste dumped in the river is domestic instead of industrial. Several small, interconnected drains open into the bigger drains in Quila and Nakatia area, which lead to the Ramganga in Bareilly.

Apart from the two sewage treatment plants at Sarai Tulfi and Nakatia, four more plants will be set up under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme. These will come up in four zones of the city with an estimated budget of Rs 2,200 crore. The municipal authorities are looking for land for the project.

"It is a big and integrated plan for the city and would take almost four to five years to be completed. However, the two sewage treatment plants under the NGBRA scheme are small in size and would be ready in a year's time," said Yadav.

New sewer lines will also be laid in the city under the JNNURM scheme as more than 60% of the city doesn't have them. The sewer lines were last replaced in 1970-75. Over the years, the city has expanded but sewer lines have not been introduced in the new areas by either the state or Union governments.