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Public Health / Sanitation

Zero sewage in a year?

Saturday, 07 November 2009 07:59 administrator
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Deccan Chronicle 07.11.2009

Zero sewage in a year?

November 7th, 2009
By Our Correspondent

Bengaluru, Nov. 6: The BWSSB appears to have at last received a wake-up call to keep sewage and garbage out of stormwater drains, so essential to prevent flooding in times of heavy rain. It is working on a Rs 35 crore pilot project, titled Zero Flow for Hebbal valley to prevent sewage from entering storm water drains and emptying into water bodies, contaminating them.

The project has not come a day too soon as only 300 to 350 MLD of the 720MLD of sewage generated by the city is treated, while the rest finds its way into the storm water drains in the absence of a proper sewage network in the city. Also, it is estimated that at least 15 per cent of people in city directly discharge sewage into stormwater drains.

The problem has been compounded by the 68 km long sewage pipelines running inside storm water drains often being damaged while the drains are being de-silted by the BBMP.

While the problem is huge the BWSSB has decided to tackle it one step at a time. To begin with a 9 km long sewage line found inside storm water drains will be replaced by parallel pipelines laid on either side of the drain at a cost of Rs 2 crore, says S.M. Basavaraju, chief engineer, waste water management in the civic agency.

The BWSSB is acquiring five metres of land on either side of the drain to lay the parallel lines. It also plans to replace over 25 year old trunk sewer lines of over 450mm in diameter running over 16 kms at a cost of Rs 33 crore in Hebbal.

The project which will be financed under Mega city funding and also by the BWSSB, is expected to start in a month and be completed in a year, according to Mr Basavaraju. The BWSSB has already replaced a 9 km long sewage line in Koramangala, Chelagatta and Vrishabhavathi valleys, under the National River Conservation Plan, and Environmental Action Plan A.

Once the pilot project is completed, it will be extended to these three valleys and their sewer lines inside storm water drains will also be replaced under Environment Action Plan 3, explains BWSSB chairperson P.B.Ramamurthy. The project could give a fresh lease of life to 80 percent of water bodies in the city which are currently dumped with sewage and also prevent contamination of the ground water, which has made 80 per cent of borewells unfit for supply of drinking water.

 

1.12 lakh tonne garbage cleared post-flood

Saturday, 07 November 2009 07:24 administrator
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The Hindu 07.11.2009

1.12 lakh tonne garbage cleared post-flood

Special Correspondent

Kurnool witnesses one of the biggest cleansing operations

 

56,305 workers engaged to clean the city for a whole month

46 Municipal Commissioners took part in sanitation operations

KURNOOL: The Municipal Corporation which launched one of the biggest cleansing operations post-flood, cleared 1.12 lakh tonne garbage since October 4. The officials said the operation was nearing completion.

Initially, the officials estimated that one lakh tonne had accumulated on the streets after the flood. Each household was expected to have generated two tonnes. Presently,around 1,000 tonne was being generated in the city as against the normal garbarge clearance of 250 tonne.

The highest amount of waste was cleared between October 6 and 13 which was around 8,500 tonne per day. The vehicles carting away the garbage came to around 37,484 sorties. Also, 56,305 workers were engaged to clean the city for a whole month. Around 2,000 workers were engaged on an average every day. The labour force included 12,355 workers from 47 other municipalities in the State.

Cost of operations

A total of 9,568 vehicles were engaged for 30 days at the rate of 200 per day. The operations cost the government more than Rs. 5 crore.

Contractors were engaged only to clean drains and were paid at the rate of Rs.1,800 per tractor load for transport, removal of silt and loading. Apart from one Principal Secretary rank officer, four special officers, two additional directors and three regional directors and 46 municipal commissioners took part in the sanitation operations.

Arrangement was made for payment of wages at the end of the day by parking funds with the respective Municipal Commissioners who were made in charge of different wards.

A total of 500 tonnes of bleaching powder was spread on the city streets. Finding dumping places was a difficult thing as residents of no locality or village were willing to accept garbage in their area. Finally, a few individuals came forward to allow garbage to be emptied into a low-lying private land.

Last Updated on Saturday, 07 November 2009 07:25
 

Kochi's mosquito menace

Friday, 06 November 2009 11:28 administrator
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The New Indian Express 06.11.2009

Kochi's mosquito menace

Shibu B S

KOCHI: Remember the poem ‘The Pied Piper of Hamelin’ by Robert Browning, and the council asking the Mayor to rise up and give his brain a racking to find a remedy to the increasing number of rats in the city? “At this the Mayor and the Corporation, quaked with a mighty consternation,” bring in the Pied Piper who helps them get rid of the rats by playing his pipe.

Our city is also looking for a Pied Piper.

Not to get rid of rats, but mosquitoes. The rising heat and the stagnant water-filled canals are making the city a comfortable habitat for mosquitoes. These mosquitoes get busy in the evening and almost all houses in the city are filled with these harmful insects that carry diseases like dengue and malaria.

“Do not let water stagnate inside or outside your house. This is the best way to tackle the problem,” said a health department official. But in a city like Kochi with a number of canals, simply keeping your household clean is just not enough. “Mosquitoes lay their larvae in the stagnant canal water and within a few weeks they multiply,” the official added.

The Kochi Corporation authorities said that they would take preventive measures to tackle the mosquito menace in the city.

“We have already given instructions to the health department to take precautions to prevent mosquito breeding. Extensive pest control measures will be taken up and we have already started fogging,” health standing committee chairman N A Mani said.

But health experts are concerned about the chemicals used to kill adult mosquitoes and their potential harmful effects. “The insecticide fog is composed of pyrethrum, piperonyl butoxide (PBO) and oil. Large quantities of pyrethrum can be harmful to humans,” he said.

An official from the health department said that there was no point in killing mosquitoes after providing them enough space to breed. “Biolarvicide can be an effective measure. If water in the canals flows without any interruption it will reach the Boundary-Rameswaram canal, and from there it will flow to the lake.

But the Boundary-Rameswaram canal has not been properly cleaned. It is filled with solid waste and weeds. If the canal water flows to the lake there is a chance of automatic flushing.

During the high tide, salt water will be flushed in and during low tide it will be flushed out. But solid waste and weeds should be removed up to the base level,” the official said.

Mani said that the Corporation had already instructed the irrigation department to desilt the Boundary-Rameswaram canal.

“The cleaning of the canal is the responsibility of the irrigation department. It has already floated a tender and the cleaning work will begin soon,” he added.

Last Updated on Friday, 06 November 2009 11:35
 
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