Advanced FPSTAR technology developed by a Bengaluru-based laboratory is to be deployed for conversion of the waste liquid into water fit for consumption.

The model plant that would use Aquatron Boomtube Resonator is stated to be the first of its kind facility in the state to convert sewage wastes and industrial effluent into food grade water.

As many as 40 to 50 industries have made substantial financial contributions at the initiative of Olirum Erodu Foundation for establishing the model plant.

Totally, Rs. 1.8 crore is the estimate for the model plant with capacity to treat 2.4 lakh litres a day with two similar units: one to treat sewage waste from Pichakaranpallam Odai and the other to process effluent from tanning, dyeing and bleaching units brought in lorries.

The civil work has been completed and the machinery has also arrived. Installation would consume duration of at least two weeks, and trial run would be conducted thereafter.

In the meantime, the stakeholders of the model plant have reportedly approached the IIT Madras requesting for constitution of a technical committee to validate purity level of the treated water, and determine utility of the minimal sludge generated in the process as manure.

Once the purity is confirmed, industries will be encouraged and facilitated to form clusters and establish more number of such plants in geographical proximity, Pollution Control Board sources said.

District Collector S. Prabakar, who carried out an inspection on Wednesday, said the 545 dyeing, bleaching and printing units, and 34 tanning units were required to adopt Zero Liquid Discharge technology.

The treatment cost under the new technology will be much lesser. Also, only two % of the waste precipitates as sludge, he said.

Corporation Commissioner K. Vijayakarthikeyan said that the plan to invite students was at a very preliminary stage and that the civic body was yet to even send out letter of internship offers to colleges.

Only based on the response from colleges, students would the civic body decide on the numbers it needed, quantum of stipend, if any, to be paid and where to fit in the students.

But the broad objective was to use the students as an interface between the public - the civic could use them to create awareness among the public on the Swachh Bharat mobile app, elicit problems in the ward, and get feedback on action taken.

Mr. Vijayakarthikeyan, however, clarified that that the initiative was not suggested by the Union Government.

Notice served

Coimbatore Corporation has served notices on a few engineers for dereliction of duty.

Sources said that five of them involved in the model roads project had shown poor results.

Soon after starting the work on D.B. Road, the civic body did not show progress.

The sources also said that the corporation had reminded a few utility service providers to pay the money to shift their lines/wires/poles/boxes so as to implement the model roads project.