New Delhi, May 23 (PTI) Adoption of modern technology at the Okhla sewage treatment plant in south Delhi has improved the quality of water at the site by 82 per cent, officials said on Monday.
This has also brought down biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and total suspended solids (TSS) to a “historic low”, signifying the efficiency of this innovation, they said.
“The Kejriwal government in Delhi is employing scientific and innovative methods to ensure that its ambitious goal of cleaning the River Yamuna is achieved on time,” the city’s water department said in a statement.
The Delhi government also undertook the unique initiative of treating the city’s waste water with the use of chemicals at the 16 MGD sewage treatment plant (STP) in Okhla, which subsequently improved the quality of the water by 82 per cent, it said.
The USP of this innovation is that it treats the sewage water more efficiently at the Okhla STP, officials said.
“Delhi Jal Board and third party audit reports show positive results in the waste-water treated in Okhla 16 MGD STP. The BOD is down from 23 to 4 and the TSS from 38 to 7,” Delhi Water Minister Satyendar Jain was quoted as saying in the statement.
“To achieve this level of BOD and TSS, earlier, the STP had to be upgraded and the government had to spend anywhere between Rs 30-40 crore for this. With the latest intervention, not only has the cost come down drastically, but it has also saved time. The method of treating sewage water at Okhla STP has been changed so that water can be treated according to the latest standards,” he said.
The Kejriwal government has been assiduously working to protect the natural environment and make the entire process cost-effective, time-saving and environment friendly, the statement said.
The technique has been operational at the sewage treatment plant in Okhla, and based on the final output, the Delhi Jal Board will soon replicate this in all STPs in Delhi, they said.
Officials on Sunday had said that Delhi had a plan to exchange 140 million gallons a day (MGD) of treated wastewater for freshwater from Uttar Pradesh.
“Uttar Pradesh said it could share 270 cusecs of water from the Ganga through the Murad Nagar regulator and Delhi had promised to release an equal amount of treated wastewater to UP from Okhla for irrigation purposes.
“After multiple meetings and field inspections, Uttar Pradesh wrote to us around six months ago that the idea has been dropped,” an official had said on condition of anonymity.
Jain on Monday said the Delhi government is aiming to clean the Yamuna River in the next three years. To accomplish this, the government intends to connect 100 per cent of households to fully functional sewer connections. In the same vein, the Delhi government has introduced this new innovation, which will enhance the quality of water that falls into the Yamuna river from the STP.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has tasked the DJB with cleaning the Yamuna by February 2025. Just as the Delhi government has revolutionised governance with its groundbreaking work in the health and education sectors during its previous tenure, the government’s current focus is on cleaning up the Yamuna, the statement said. PTI KND SMN SMN
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Source: The Print
