Water Treatment

Using water to the last drop

Monday, 18 November 2013 06:21 administrator

The Hindu 18.11.2013

Using water to the last drop

Dennis Marcus Mathew

Plans to use treated water optimally

The sewage treatment plant (STP) at Muttathara, which is to be inaugurated shortly, might set a new precedent in the State with regard to utilisation of waste water.

Authorities here are mulling various applications of treated waste water from the plant, said to be the first full-fledged one in the State, instead of letting it flow into the Parvathy Puthanar canal.

The Rs.80-crore STP, which has a capacity of 107 million litres per day (MLD), will begin with 40 MLD collected from the city.

For 25 years

Once the city’s sewage network is expanded, it is expected to function at full capacity. The plant, which has been operating on a trial basis for the past three months, is designed to meet the city’s sewage disposal requirements for at least 25 years.

Treated, but wasted

Officials say about 30 MLD waste water is coming out in treated form from the plant every day, all of which is being let out into the Parvathy Puthanar canal.

U.V. Jose, project director in-charge, Project Management Unit, Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project (KSUDP), says plans are afoot to hold discussions with agencies including the Airports Authority of India, since the international airport is situated close to the STP, on the possibilities of the treated water from the STP being used for purposes like gardening and watering of landscapes, washing of tarmacs/roads or other general purposes other than drinking for which normal water was currently being used.

Mr. Jose says the results of the trial are “consistent, conducive and encouraging” for plans to utilise the treated water.

Full-fledged efforts to utilise the water on a commercial basis will be considered only later, once the plant was fully functional.

‘Give it free’

Ashok Kumar Singh, Managing Director, Kerala Water Authority, is all for utilisation of treated water, stating that it could even be given free to those who are interested in using it.

Making it a commercial product is a policy matter and is something that is already being done in several Indian cities.

As manure

Whether that is followed here or not, there is no doubt that the treated water should not be let off into canals. Instead, it must be used for purposes such as construction, gardening etc., Mr. Singh says.

Mr. Jose says the possibilities of making use of the sludge from the STP, as manure or in any other possible manner, are also being checked out.

Bhandewadi sewage plant agreement sent to NMC house

Friday, 08 November 2013 08:02 administrator

The Times of India 08.11.2013

Bhandewadi sewage plant agreement sent to NMC house

NAGPUR: The general body of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) may discuss the draft agreement of 200 million litre per day (MLD) sewage treatment plant (STP) at Bhandewadi before a letter of agreement (LoA) is issued to the operator. Municipal commissioner Shyam Wardhane has sent it to NMC house for discussion. A general body meeting is slated to be held later this month.

Wardhane told TOI that as it was a public private partnership (PPP) agreement it was necessary to send it to the house. However, standing committee chairman Avinash Thakre feels it is unwarranted and would further delay the project. A senior official said Wardhane might have done so to avoid any controversy. "MP Vilas Muttemwar had sent a warning letter asking him to scrap the tender. Leader of opposition Vikas Thakre, who is a close aide of Muttemwar, too has strongly opposed it," he said.

Under normal circumstances it would have been a welcome move but in this case Nagpur bench of Bombay high court has expressed strong dissatisfaction over slow progress of the project. The sewage of Nag river is polluting Gosikhurd dam, adversely affecting thousands of farmers. Therefore, STP needs to be completed as fast as possible.

The STP is being built on the directives of HC. However, NMC has not shown any urgency in completing this process. The bids were floated in late 2011 but the financial bid was opened only in September 2012. NMC took its own time in processing the tender until in July 2013 Muttemwar sent a warning letter to Wardhane. The commissioner sat on the file for three more months before clearing it. Muttemwar opposed execution of the project on public private partnership (PPP) mode and demanded that it be built using government funds completely ignoring financial condition of NMC. Strangely, neither Muttemwar nor Thakre had any problem with PPP model for around two years until this July. Similarly, they did not show much concern about Nag River going dry due to the project before July.

While Wardhane has sent the agreement to the house, it may not necessarily be taken up discussion. This will practically be the prerogative of mayor. Mayor Anil Sole can decide whether the agreement should be tabled before the house so it becomes a public document but refuse to allow discussion on it. Standing committee chairman Avinash Thakre strongly opposed Wardhane's decision. "I am unable to understand why the tender had been sent to the house after standing committee cleared it. It is totally unwarranted," he told TOI.

Civic body told to finish work on STPs

Wednesday, 06 November 2013 11:36 administrator

The Times of India 06.11.2013

Civic body told to finish work on STPs

PUNE: The state irrigation department has asked the civic body to complete its sewage treatment plants (STPs) and release recycled water for irrigation before seeking additional drinking water.

The irrigation department sets aside 11.5 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) water for Pune every year. However, according to the department, the city draws a total of over 14 TMC water from the Khadakwasla, Temghar, Varasgaon and Panshet reservoirs. The state government has repeatedly said that the quota is higher than the normal requirement, yet the city faces water shortage throughout the year because of distribution losses and water mismanagement by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).

In a letter to the PMC, the irrigation department has asked the corporation to treat at least 6.5 TMC water annually and release it for agricultural use, and only then stake its claim on a higher water quota.

"As of now, as per the deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar's orders, the irrigation department has agreed to provide the required quota of drinking water to the city. However, we have made it clear that if Pune continues to draw more than its share of water, irrigation in Pune rural area will be affected. The PMC has to complete sewage treatment projects and then officially claim additional water," said a senior state irrigation department official.

V G Kulkarni, head of the PMC's water department, said that the PMC's sewage treatment capacity would go up substantially by August 2014 once the infrastructure to recycle waste water was set up in Mundhwa. At present, the city generates 700 million litres sewage daily, but treats only 567 million litres a day. Over 6.5 TMC sewage water will be treated and released into the irrigation canals once the plant at Mundhwa becomes operational. He added that the PMC plans to release the treated water for non-drinking and agriculture purposes into the canal in Sade Satra Nali area on Pune-Solapur Road.

At present, the city has 10 STPs and the administration plans to set up 10 more for future needs. The sewage from these plants will be taken to the Mundhwa plant for treatment. Five new plants will come up at Warje, Wadgaon Budruk, Dhanori, Bopodi and Hadapsar, while five others will be built on the sites of the existing treatment plants.

Contaminated borewells to get treatment units

Monday, 07 October 2013 07:23 administrator

The New Indian Express 07.10.2013

As part of efforts to treat water in contaminated borewells, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is planning to install 168 treatment plants in the 110 villages that were newly-added to the city.

According to T Venkatraju, engineer-in-chief, BWSSB, of the 617 public water borewells located in the 110 villages, 168 were found to be contaminated.

“Therefore, we are planning to install treatment plants to ensure that the water, which is supplied, is not contaminated. As some of these borewells are situated in BBMP areas, we have already convened a meeting with Palike officials to discuss modalities of installing treatment plants,” Venkatraju explained.

The Karnataka High Court had taken suo motu cognizance of deteriorating groundwater levels in the city and had directed the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to check water quality in public borewells.

The KSPCB tested water from borewells on 22 parameters, including pH level, amount of dissolved solids, nitrates, fluorides, turbidity, sulphates, chlorides, phenol, total hardness, calcium cyanide ammonia, copper, zinc, iron, cadmium, manganese, lead, chromium and nickel. Water in 168 borewells, located in 64 villages, was found to be contaminated and non-potable.

Forty-eight of these borewells needed chloride treatment plants while 39 needed reverse osmosis plants to remove nitrates and other contaminants.

As many as 72 borewells needed de-fluoridation plants and disinfection units before they were declared as being potable.

Earlier, official sources had estimated the number of contaminated borewells to be 150.

Maradu water project gets a major boost

Monday, 02 September 2013 11:21 administrator

The New Indian Express 02.09.2013

The Maradu water treatment plant project is all set to get a fresh lease of life as the final roadblock in completing the project is likely to be cleared by this month.

The Rs 201-crore water treatment plant project was mooted as a solution to the severe potable water crisis of Kochi and the suburbs.

However, uncertainty was looming large over the project owing to the delay in getting sanction from the the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for cutting the National Highway-47 for laying pipeline. But, it is learnt that NHAI had finally given its nod for road cutting.

“The official sanction from NHAI Delhi office had already been dispatched to the Chennai office, from where the final nod will be given. We are expecting the order within 15 days and the NHAI had already communicated with us in this regard. Once the order is received, we will be able to carry out the road cutting at the nearly 5-km stretch between Aroor to the Nettoor area, where the plant is situated. The restoration works will also be carried out once the pipe laying is completed,” said at op official with Kerala Water Authority, which is implementing the project.

As per theproject, proposed under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), water will be drawn from Pazhoorkkadavu in Muvattuppuzha river and will be brought to the Maradu Water Treatment Plant. It has a capacity to recycle 100 million litres of water a day (mld) and the recycled water will be supplied mainly to West Kochi area, which is reeling under acute water shortage.

The project which was initiated in 2007 came to a standstill for nearly one-and-a-half year following the stiff opposition raised by local bodies in Piravom against cutting the Nadakkavu-Koothattukulam Road for laying the pipes.

Though the issue was sorted out last year and KWA completed 75 per cent of the pipe laying work between Pazhoor and Aarakkunam Road, it again came to a standstill owing to the norms set by NHAI that the tarred road cannot be dug or cut unless an exemption is obtained from the Centre.

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