Water Treatment

Dirty water flows from purifying tanks

Wednesday, 10 July 2013 10:24 administrator

The Hindustan Times 10.07.2013

Dirty water flows from purifying tanks

There’s a high possibility that the water coming through your tap is contaminated, if you go by the BMC’s latest data on water samples tested across the city.

In June, one in every five samples tested by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was found to be unfit for consumption.

The bad news doesn’t end there. The BMC has found 17% of all water samples collected from just outside water reservoirs to be contaminated. This means that water treated in the reservoirs is unfit for consumption even as it is released to households.

Of the 929 samples collected from just outside reservoirs, 160 were unfit for consumption, while four cases of Escherichia coli (E coli), the bacteria that leads to diarrhoea, dehydration, vomiting and nausea, have been reported in water at the city’s purification reservoirs.

In May, the BMC found 7% of water samples from outside reservoirs unfit for consumption and one case of E coli.

The reservoirs are where drinking water undergoes a purification process and where chlorine is added to it. That water remains contaminated just after it is ostensibly made safer to drink has worried officials, who are unable to determine why it’s happening.

This is not the first time that the city’s reservoirs have reported high levels of contamination.

In July 2011, HT had reported on water samples from reservoirs showing alarming levels of E coli.

Back then, the BMC had announced several measures to deal with the problem, but two years later, fresh data shows that the problem still exists.

Rajiv Jalota, additional municipal commissioner, said the BMC was not sure why the water samples collected from outside the reservoirs were contaminated.

“It is almost impossible that water samples after purification can have any kind of contamination,” Jalota said. “We will look into the reason behind these figures immediately.”

Former deputy municipal commissioner Prakash Sanglikar said it was perplexing to see contamination at water reservoirs.

“It’s a scary prospect as it points to large systemic problems,” he said, even as he raised doubts about the BMC’s testing mechanism.

“The BMC must conduct random checks at its water reservoirs and then testing the samples at private laboratories. It should also consider third party audits.”

AMC to set up mineral water plant for staff

Friday, 05 July 2013 11:25 administrator

The Indian Express 05.07.2013

AMC to set up mineral water plant for staff

Amid opposition from the Congress, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) Standing Committee Thursday approved a proposal to set up a mineral water plant at a cost of Rs 3.97 crore. The water from the plant will be used exclusively for various functions and programmes held by the civic administration.

Committee chairman Bhupendra Patel said this was better than procuring water from private suppliers. He said the AMC's requirement of mineral water was three lakh litres every year, which would cost Rs 15 lakh annually. This could be saved by setting up the packaged mineral water plant. Opposition leader Badruddin Shaikh opposed the proposal on the ground that spending Rs 3.97 crore on setting up a water plant was a wasteful expenditure. He said an expenditure of Rs 15 lakh a year was not so high as to force the AMC to set up a water plant.

Big plans to clean toxic Vrishabhavati

Thursday, 04 July 2013 06:17 administrator

The Hindu 04.07.2013

Big plans to clean toxic Vrishabhavati

raising a stink:The Ramanagaram district administration has asked a Mysore-based agency for a report on reducing pollution levels in the Vrishabhavati.

Those living in the Vrishabhavati valley in Bidadi hobli may expect some relief soon as the Ramanagaram district administration has decided to clean the river with the assistance of a Mysore-based agency.

The Vrishabhavati, a tributary of the Arkavati, is polluted by effluents from industrial, agricultural and domestic sources. A large number of people living in the vicinity of Bhyramangala, Ittamadu, Chowkahalli, Shanamangala, Ramanahalli, Sheshagirihalli and Gopahalli are facing health hazards because of the polluted water. The polluted water has impacted agriculture too.

High Court notice

Recently, the Karnataka High Court ordered issue notice to the State government, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and other authorities when the issue of contaminated water being supplied to several areas in Bangalore was highlighted in a newspaper.

Subsequently, the Ramanagaram district administration decided to take up the project to reduce pollution levels in the Vrishabhavati.

Project report

“Reducing pollution levels or cleaning the river is a major task and requires a lot of preparations. We have requested a private agency [Jalavahini Management Services Pvt. Ltd.] in Mysore to submit a detailed report by July 21,” V. Srirama Reddy, Deputy Commissioner of Ramanagaram, told The Hindu on Tuesday. Mr. Reddy said he visited several villages along the banks of the Vrishabhavati and interacted with affected people.

High levels of toxic pollutants such as arsenic and zinc were found in groundwater in the vicinity of the Bhyramangala tank (located along the river’s course). “I have asked authorities of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) and departments of Health, Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Husbandry to submit reports on the impact of the polluted water on people and cattle,” Mr. Reddy said.

Budget

The Ramanagaram district administration will finalise the project after receiving the report from the agency. “Later, we will fix a budget and timeframe for cleaning the river,” he said.

As part of the project, the district administration is planning to set up treatment plants near the Bhyramangala tank. Jalavahini is providing sustainable and cost-effective organic solution to waste management issues in Mysore, an officer in the Ramanagaram Deputy Commissioner’s office, said.

Sewage treatment plants for Gulbarga

Tuesday, 02 July 2013 05:20 administrator

The Hindu 02.07.2013

Sewage treatment plants for Gulbarga

Special Correspondent

The Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (KUWSDB) has submitted a Rs. 13 crore proposal for diverting untreated sewage water now being let into the Bhima at a point from where drinking water for Gulbarga is drawn.

According to KUWSDB officials, who also informed Municipal Administration and Wakf Minister Qamar-ul Islam, untreated sewage was mixing with the river water near Saradagi Barrage, from where 55 MLD (million litres per day) is being lifted. The Minister visited the spot.

A blueprint has been prepared, detailing a 2.8 km-long underground pipeline, which will ensure that the sewage is let into the river far below the barrage. Expressing his concern over the problem, the Minister said it was not right that untreated sewage was being dumped into the Bhima near the point where drinking water was being lifted. He told KUWSDB officials to find a permanent solution to the problem.

Officials suggested establishing a full-fledged sewage treatment plant at a cost of Rs. 32 crore, which could treat 32 MLD of sewage at a time.

JICA GIVES RS. 370 CRORE

Monday, 01 July 2013 06:08 administrator

The Hindu 01.07.2013

JICA GIVES RS. 370 CRORE

The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority has taken up the Hussainsagar lake and Catchment Improvement Project with financial assistance of Rs. 370 crore from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Some of the lake cleaning project components include diversion of sewage inflows, setting up sewage treatment plants and sediment dredging.

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