The Times of India 22.09.2010
Efforts to supply recycled water to industries
CHENNAI: As part of its effort to improve water management, the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) has appointed a consultant to study the demand for recycled water in an industrial hub near Sriperumbudur, said managing director of CMWSSB, Shiv Das Meena.
He was speaking at the Tamil Nadu Water Summit 2010 organised by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) here on Tuesday. A water directory and water conservation pledge was released by Union minister of state for water resources Vincent H Pala on the occasion.
Based on demand, the CMWSSB will start a tertiary and reverse osmosis plant in Koyambedu. The secondary treated effluent will be tertiary treated and further purified through a reverse osmosis procedure and supplied to the industries in Irungattukottai near Sriperumbudur.
The consultant has been given six months to complete the study. "The water will be supplied from the new tertiary reverse osmosis treatment plant coming up at Koyambedu. We are also willing to supply other industries if they approach us. But as of now we are just studying the demand in Irungattukottai," said a senior CMWSSB official.
The secondary treatment is designed to degrade the biological content of sewage and the purpose of tertiary treatment is to provide a final treatment stage to raise the effluent quality before it is discharged. Reverse osmosis is done to reduce phosphorous levels in the effluent.
The total water supplied to industries in and around the city is 35 million litres per day (MLD). The water demand of industrial units in Irungattukottai is expected to reduce substantially once they start using the recycled water," added the official.
Speaking at the conference, Vincent H Pala said nearly 37% of the state's groundwater has been exploited. "Using strict norms and rainwater harvesting measures this problem can be mitigated," he said.
Another problem he highlighted was that out of the 900-km coastline, 640km are vulnerable to erosion. "Only 40km are adequately protected. If urgent measures are not taken, climate change may cause a rise in sea level. This will result in the salination of groundwater," he said.
S Raghupathy, senior director of CII Godrej green building council, said the CII is planning to start a campaign to save water in industries. "The industries have a potential to save 40% of the water they use. At the national level, the total average consumption of industries is just 5%. Industries should also try to ensure zero discharge of effluents," he said.
He was speaking at the Tamil Nadu Water Summit 2010 organised by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) here on Tuesday. A water directory and water conservation pledge was released by Union minister of state for water resources Vincent H Pala on the occasion.
Based on demand, the CMWSSB will start a tertiary and reverse osmosis plant in Koyambedu. The secondary treated effluent will be tertiary treated and further purified through a reverse osmosis procedure and supplied to the industries in Irungattukottai near Sriperumbudur.
The consultant has been given six months to complete the study. "The water will be supplied from the new tertiary reverse osmosis treatment plant coming up at Koyambedu. We are also willing to supply other industries if they approach us. But as of now we are just studying the demand in Irungattukottai," said a senior CMWSSB official.
The secondary treatment is designed to degrade the biological content of sewage and the purpose of tertiary treatment is to provide a final treatment stage to raise the effluent quality before it is discharged. Reverse osmosis is done to reduce phosphorous levels in the effluent.
The total water supplied to industries in and around the city is 35 million litres per day (MLD). The water demand of industrial units in Irungattukottai is expected to reduce substantially once they start using the recycled water," added the official.
Speaking at the conference, Vincent H Pala said nearly 37% of the state's groundwater has been exploited. "Using strict norms and rainwater harvesting measures this problem can be mitigated," he said.
Another problem he highlighted was that out of the 900-km coastline, 640km are vulnerable to erosion. "Only 40km are adequately protected. If urgent measures are not taken, climate change may cause a rise in sea level. This will result in the salination of groundwater," he said.
S Raghupathy, senior director of CII Godrej green building council, said the CII is planning to start a campaign to save water in industries. "The industries have a potential to save 40% of the water they use. At the national level, the total average consumption of industries is just 5%. Industries should also try to ensure zero discharge of effluents," he said.
