The Hindu 18.11.2013
Using water to the last drop
Plans to use treated water optimally
The sewage treatment plant (STP) at Muttathara, which is
to be inaugurated shortly, might set a new precedent in the State with
regard to utilisation of waste water.
Authorities
here are mulling various applications of treated waste water from the
plant, said to be the first full-fledged one in the State, instead of
letting it flow into the Parvathy Puthanar canal.
The Rs.80-crore STP, which has a capacity of 107 million litres per day (MLD), will begin with 40 MLD collected from the city.
For 25 years
Once
the city’s sewage network is expanded, it is expected to function at
full capacity. The plant, which has been operating on a trial basis for
the past three months, is designed to meet the city’s sewage disposal
requirements for at least 25 years.
Treated, but wasted
Officials
say about 30 MLD waste water is coming out in treated form from the
plant every day, all of which is being let out into the Parvathy
Puthanar canal.
U.V. Jose, project director
in-charge, Project Management Unit, Kerala Sustainable Urban Development
Project (KSUDP), says plans are afoot to hold discussions with agencies
including the Airports Authority of India, since the international
airport is situated close to the STP, on the possibilities of the
treated water from the STP being used for purposes like gardening and
watering of landscapes, washing of tarmacs/roads or other general
purposes other than drinking for which normal water was currently being
used.
Mr. Jose says the results of the trial are “consistent, conducive and encouraging” for plans to utilise the treated water.
Full-fledged
efforts to utilise the water on a commercial basis will be considered
only later, once the plant was fully functional.
‘Give it free’
Ashok
Kumar Singh, Managing Director, Kerala Water Authority, is all for
utilisation of treated water, stating that it could even be given free
to those who are interested in using it.
Making it a commercial product is a policy matter and is something that is already being done in several Indian cities.
As manure
Whether
that is followed here or not, there is no doubt that the treated water
should not be let off into canals. Instead, it must be used for purposes
such as construction, gardening etc., Mr. Singh says.
Mr.
Jose says the possibilities of making use of the sludge from the STP,
as manure or in any other possible manner, are also being checked out.