Indian Express 20.01.2010
To treat wastewater, DJB recycling plant inaugurated at Wazirpur
In an initiative that is the first of its kind in India, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) inaugurated its second wastewater recycling unit at the Wazirabad Water Works on Tuesday.
One of Delhi’s oldest water treatment plants, the Wazirabad Water Works now has a new recycling unit inside its complex to produce 11 million gallons of water (MGD) every day. The fully integrated recycling plant was inaugurated by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.
Delhi is now the only city in the country to reuse processed wastewater at its water treatment plants, which will result in a net gain of 45 million litres of water every day for a city struggling to meet the growing demand.
The new unit, which promises a marked improvement in the quality of distributed water, proposes to ease the water supply situation for about five lakh residents in North Delhi.
Built at a cost of Rs 27.8 crore, the Wazirabad plant has been designed in a way so that no additional wastewater is generated during the treatment process.
“Water from the 11-MGD plant will feed two underground reservoirs in Burari and produce over 50 million litres of water a day,” DJB spokesperson Sanjam Chima said.
While the agency accepts the need to manage the demand and supply of water better, it started the pilot project of recycling wastewater in 2009 to save water from going down the drain, literally. The DJB is setting up two more such plants at the Bhagirathi and Chandrawal complexes. It commissioned one such plant in Haiderpur last year.
“By March 2010, these plants will collectively add a total of 45 MGD to the city’s water supply. These will go a long way in solving our water woes. The DJB is making several efforts to ensure safe and clean drinking water is available to every resident,” Dikshit said on the occasion.
The Wazirabad recycling plant is expected to raise the water supply from the Wazirabad complex to 131 MGD by saving approximately 10 per cent of the previously discarded wastewater that was generated during the treatment process.
“DJB is constantly looking at innovative ways to make the best use of available resources by introducing advanced technological interventions in our processes. The initiatives would not only add to our existing water resources but do so in an environmentally sustainable way,” DJB CEO Ramesh Negi said.
The payback period of the plant, which has a life of 20 to 25 years, is three years, officials said. “The DJB is expected to save Rs 9 crore per annum,” a DJB official said.
