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.

The Hindu 20.01.2010

New water recycling plant inaugurated in Capital

Staff Reporter

- Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma

More water: Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit having a look at the recycling plant after its inauguration in the Capital on Tuesday.

NEW DELHI: A new water recycling plant that will put an additional 11 million gallons a day (MGD) of water into the Capital’s distribution system was inaugurated by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit at Wazirabad here on Tuesday. The city’s second recycling plant, the Wazirabad recycling plant is also an energy-efficient system.

The plant uses advanced technologies over a multi-level treatment process, removes impurities from water that was otherwise discarded during the water treatment process and makes it fit for human consumption.

The Chief Minister said since water is a finite resource it is the responsibility of every citizen to promote its efficient usage. Setting up integrated recycling plants at the water treatment plants is only a step in that direction, she said.

The Rs.27.8-crore recycling plant will add another 11 MGD to the existing water capacity, benefiting more than five lakh people, especially residents of the Burari area in North Delhi.

The plant will treat the wastewater generated during the initial process of raw water treatment and will be fully integrated with the existing water treatment facility in Wazirabad.

Referring to the efforts being made by the Delhi Jal Board toward improving the water system in the city, the Chief Minister said the Board is building similar fully-integrated recycle water treatment plants at the Bhagirathi (10 MGD) and Chandrawal (8 MGD) water treatment complexes as well. A recycling plant at Haiderpur commissioned last year is already running at full capacity.

By the time all these projects are ready this coming March, she said, a total of 45 MGD would have been added to Delhi’s water supply system. Delhi Jal Board vice-chairperson Ramakant Goswami said these recycling treatment plants would help in saving roughly 10 per cent of the water that was earlier discarded as wastewater generated during water treatment operations.

Delhi Jal Board Chief Operating Officer Ramesh Negi said the Board is constantly on the look-out for innovative ways to make the best use of available resources by introducing advanced technological interventions in the system.

He said the Wazirabad recycling plant has been designed to ensure that no wastewater will be generated from the recycling plant. The system is based on advanced treatment technology; therefore even wastewater generated during the recycling process is re-fed into the system leaving minimal waste.

Mr. Negi said the Jal Board is currently undertaking several projects to develop water and wastewater-related infrastructure in Delhi. Taking a comprehensive view of the situation, these projects include augmentation and development of water sourcing and supply systems, improving operational efficiencies in existing processes and development of sewage treatment infrastructure of the city.