As part of efforts to treat water in contaminated borewells, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is planning to install 168 treatment plants in the 110 villages that were newly-added to the city.

According to T Venkatraju, engineer-in-chief, BWSSB, of the 617 public water borewells located in the 110 villages, 168 were found to be contaminated.

“Therefore, we are planning to install treatment plants to ensure that the water, which is supplied, is not contaminated. As some of these borewells are situated in BBMP areas, we have already convened a meeting with Palike officials to discuss modalities of installing treatment plants,” Venkatraju explained.

The Karnataka High Court had taken suo motu cognizance of deteriorating groundwater levels in the city and had directed the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to check water quality in public borewells.

The KSPCB tested water from borewells on 22 parameters, including pH level, amount of dissolved solids, nitrates, fluorides, turbidity, sulphates, chlorides, phenol, total hardness, calcium cyanide ammonia, copper, zinc, iron, cadmium, manganese, lead, chromium and nickel. Water in 168 borewells, located in 64 villages, was found to be contaminated and non-potable.

Forty-eight of these borewells needed chloride treatment plants while 39 needed reverse osmosis plants to remove nitrates and other contaminants.

As many as 72 borewells needed de-fluoridation plants and disinfection units before they were declared as being potable.

Earlier, official sources had estimated the number of contaminated borewells to be 150.

The Maradu water treatment plant project is all set to get a fresh lease of life as the final roadblock in completing the project is likely to be cleared by this month.

The Rs  201-crore water treatment plant project was mooted as a solution to the severe potable water crisis of Kochi and the suburbs.

However, uncertainty was looming large over the project owing to the delay in getting sanction from the the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI)   for cutting the National Highway-47 for laying pipeline. But, it is learnt that NHAI had finally given its nod for road cutting.

“The official sanction from NHAI Delhi office had already been dispatched to the Chennai office, from where the final nod will be given. We are expecting the order within 15 days and the NHAI had already communicated with us in this regard. Once the order is received, we will be able to carry out the road cutting at the nearly 5-km stretch between Aroor to the Nettoor area, where the plant is situated. The restoration works will also be carried out once the pipe laying is completed,” said at op official with Kerala Water Authority, which is implementing the project.

As per theproject, proposed under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), water will be drawn from Pazhoorkkadavu in Muvattuppuzha river and will be brought to the Maradu Water Treatment Plant. It has a capacity to recycle 100 million litres of water a day (mld) and the recycled water will be supplied mainly to West Kochi area, which is reeling under acute water shortage.

The project which was initiated in 2007 came to a standstill for nearly one-and-a-half year following the stiff opposition raised by local bodies in Piravom against cutting the Nadakkavu-Koothattukulam Road for laying the pipes.

Though the issue was sorted out last year and KWA completed 75 per cent of the pipe laying work between Pazhoor and Aarakkunam Road, it again came to a standstill owing to the norms  set by  NHAI that the tarred road cannot be dug or cut unless an exemption is obtained from the Centre.