Urban News

  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
Water Treatment

No water supply

Print PDF

The Hindu             18.11.2013

No water supply

The water supply in a few areas of the city will be affected on Monday due to maintenance repairs. The areas are Peddammanagar, Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, NRR Puram Site.III,V , Saibaba Nagar, Omnagar, B.S.Nagar, Netaji Subhash Chandra Nagar, Vinayak Nagar, Survey 127, Mahatma Nagar,HF Nagar and adjoining areas of SPR Hills, a press release said.

 

Using water to the last drop

Print PDF

The Hindu             18.11.2013

Using water to the last drop

Dennis Marcus Mathew

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.

 

Bhandewadi sewage plant agreement sent to NMC house

Print PDF

The Times of India            08.11.2013

Bhandewadi sewage plant agreement sent to NMC house

NAGPUR: The general body of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) may discuss the draft agreement of 200 million litre per day (MLD) sewage treatment plant (STP) at Bhandewadi before a letter of agreement (LoA) is issued to the operator. Municipal commissioner Shyam Wardhane has sent it to NMC house for discussion. A general body meeting is slated to be held later this month.

Wardhane told TOI that as it was a public private partnership (PPP) agreement it was necessary to send it to the house. However, standing committee chairman Avinash Thakre feels it is unwarranted and would further delay the project. A senior official said Wardhane might have done so to avoid any controversy. "MP Vilas Muttemwar had sent a warning letter asking him to scrap the tender. Leader of opposition Vikas Thakre, who is a close aide of Muttemwar, too has strongly opposed it," he said.

Under normal circumstances it would have been a welcome move but in this case Nagpur bench of Bombay high court has expressed strong dissatisfaction over slow progress of the project. The sewage of Nag river is polluting Gosikhurd dam, adversely affecting thousands of farmers. Therefore, STP needs to be completed as fast as possible.

The STP is being built on the directives of HC. However, NMC has not shown any urgency in completing this process. The bids were floated in late 2011 but the financial bid was opened only in September 2012. NMC took its own time in processing the tender until in July 2013 Muttemwar sent a warning letter to Wardhane. The commissioner sat on the file for three more months before clearing it. Muttemwar opposed execution of the project on public private partnership (PPP) mode and demanded that it be built using government funds completely ignoring financial condition of NMC. Strangely, neither Muttemwar nor Thakre had any problem with PPP model for around two years until this July. Similarly, they did not show much concern about Nag River going dry due to the project before July.

While Wardhane has sent the agreement to the house, it may not necessarily be taken up discussion. This will practically be the prerogative of mayor. Mayor Anil Sole can decide whether the agreement should be tabled before the house so it becomes a public document but refuse to allow discussion on it. Standing committee chairman Avinash Thakre strongly opposed Wardhane's decision. "I am unable to understand why the tender had been sent to the house after standing committee cleared it. It is totally unwarranted," he told TOI.

 


Page 9 of 55