What is your solution? What should be the India Model to make sure that Sewage treatment plants are sustainable?
Let us know your ideas?
IEN Team
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GANDHINAGAR: Union minister Prakash Javadekar on Friday said that 70 per cent of all sewage treatment plants in India do not work due to high running cost.
Replies
You refer the reports of any municipal corporation and you will find that the 'capacity' to treat the sewage generated in their city is fairly adequate, the problem is lies in the efficiency of treatment. Though conventional treatment systems are capable enough to treat the sewage upto the desired norms (when the end water is not meant for reuse). Actually, the municipal corporations are just not willing to operate it. The reason is best known to them. Moreover, you will hardly find any qualified personnel in any STP, all STPs run by municipal corporations are run by people who are not competent enough for that job
In my opinion the major reason of non functioning STP,s is due to lack of knowledge about operation and negligence in absence of perfect treated effluent and fertilizer sludge disposal plan. I had an experience that if the treated waste water is used in some facility including gardening and agriculture; the keen nature of end user forced operating team to keep the STP or ETP upto the mark.
If the Hon' Union Minister will permit, 'BIOMAGIC' - the unique, eco friendly, biotech product of 100% Indian invention can be tried in one of the defunct STPs. BIOMAGIC stops bad smell in sewage instantly on application and treats it in about 18 to 24 hours without mechanical aeration and electricity. One Kg. of BIOMAGIC can treat 1,00,000 litres of sewage per day. The cost will work out to approx.Rs.6.00 per KL. This will save a lot on O&M cost of STPs. as also its repairs & renewals. This is not a promotional effort for the product but is in the larger public interest. I don't know if this will go to the notice of the Hon. Minister or his department officials. If it goes, and if they are interested, they can contact vkr7755@gmail.com or +91 9952988540. Mini trial can also be arranged if required.
I do not agree with the Minister when he says 70 % of STP's in India are dysfunctional. I put the figure higher at around 85-90 %.
In the Govt. sector, it is easy enough to get funding from various sources to put up treatment plants. No thought is given to the funds required for the recurring operational costs. Hence the high failure rate.
In cities like Bangalore, where there are distributed STP's ( a rough estimate is around 2000 of various capacities ) in private hands in commercial complexes, Residential complexes, Hotels, hospitals etc., the primary issue is faulty design and engineering of STP's. Indeed even the selection of technology is faulty. In densely populated residential areas and complexes, we have anaerobic STP's, Black magic and voodoo technologies such as CAACO, EADOx, SA%@, etc., all duly certified by the State Pollution Control Board as acceptable designs.
In this scenario therefore, it is not operational cost that is the deterrent, but the basic fault in the design itself which make these STP's dysfunctional.
In Bangalore, which faces a severe shortage of water from municipal supplies, economics and ready availability of water at one's doorstep alone are sufficient incentives to operate STP's successfully.
These micro communities can be self sufficient in their requirement of water upto 60 % by recycling and reusing treated water from their own STP's, and also recover the operational costs by savings in fresh water purchases. Some communities I know are even cash positive by running their STP's satisfactorily and selling their excess treated water to their neighbours who are in need of water.
Dr. Ananth S Kodavasal