The Times of India          24.08.2013

PCMC to supply treated water to College of Military Engineering, others

PUNE: The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has decided to sell treated water from its sewage treatment plants to other organizations for non-potable use.

Sanjay Kulkarni, executive engineer of environment department in the civic body, said, "It is for the first time that the civic body will sell the treated water to other organizations instead of utilizing it for watering civic gardens or releasing it into the river. PCMC will provide 10 million litre per day (MLD) treated sewage water to College of Military Engineering (CME) at Dapodi at no-profit no-loss basis, at the rate of around Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 per MLD."

He said the CME will utilize this water for filling up the rowing channel in their premises which is used for practicing boating skills. The civic body had signed an agreement with a German company around four years back for selling the treated water from the sewage treatment plants at Kasarwadi to industries for non-potable use. However, this project failed to take off due to poor response from the industries.

There are three treatment plants at Kasarwadi where around 74 to 80 MLD sewage is treated on a daily basis. The budgetary estimate for the work is Rs 2.48 crore. CME, through a letter on July 25, has conveyed its readiness to deposit the amount needed for this work and also pay the monthly maintenance charges. They have also demanded that the work be completed soon.

According to the proposal, to be tabled before the civic committees, there was no budgetary provision for this work in the annual budget of 2013-14. But, as the CME has agreed to pay the estimated expenditure, the civic body can carry on with the implementation of the project. The environment department has sought administrative approval for the work.

"CME wants the work to be completed before the start of summer season. However, the civic body will have to invite bids to allot the contract which will require around two months. It will also take around six to eight months to complete the work after the contract is allotted", said Kulkarni.