The Pioneer 15.05.2013
MWTPs: Making even filthiest water absolutely drinking-fit!
During Shrawani mela, at haat-bazaars or congregations like the ones that happen at Morhabadi Ground almost every week many consume water served in small water pouches.
Not many know that the water in small pouches (not the one sponsored by Ranchi Municipal Corporation) might be originally resourced from drains, sea and even septic tanks.
But there is no need to worry. The water is absolutely drinking-fit.
The impure water is collected, processed and purified in the system mounted on a van- that is why it is mobile. The entire system is called Mobile Water Treatment Plant (MWPT). The treated water comes out from the machines in small packages, the packages which carries potable water.
The MWTPs move from places to places collecting contaminated water which is processed on the van and instantly made drinking-fit. The venture was rolled out in late 2011.
As of now there are five MWTPs in State working in Sahibganj, Ranchi, Garhwa, Dumka and Palamu.
“The entire purpose was to meet the water needs during disaster. We wanted to purify impure water even from sources like drains, sea or even from septic tanks,” said Shardendu Narayan, Chief Engineer, Public Health Engineering Department.
One might get upset discovering that the MWTPs uses drain water and even the septic tank water! Also one might wonder when the department talks of using the sea water. Since there is no possibility of sea water being available in State like ours, flanked by land from all sides.
Shardendu has answers to all these concerns.“The MWTPs are part of our contingency measure. During disasters people die even for a drop of water. We have to make them available drinking-fit water. Here you don’t have to care about the source of water. All you need is the water that is non-contaminated, fit for drinking- which is what MWTPs do. Even I would be willing to consume the purified drain water in case of emergencies,” he said.
Explaining the use of sea water he says that this has been done keeping in mind not only the State’s needs but country’s needs.
“States like West Bengal, Odisha are prone to Tsunamis, earthquakes and others disasters. Sea water has invaded residential areas in such states in pasts and (God forbid!) can hit in future. The MWTPs will be handy in purifying sea water in these situations,” he said.
May regions in Jharkhand are confronted with severe water crisis. Can the MWTPs be of any help in the situation?
“No,” says, Shardendu. “Ours is small venture for making available potable water during disaster. For fighting the current water crisis, enough number of handpumps are there, though they are defunct. Departments need to take steps to repair the defunct pumps.”
He however added that if the district administrations demanded for the services of MWTPs the departments was ready to consider it.
