Treated waste water from Noida Sector 168 STP to irrigate green belts, parks
The Noida authority had on May 17, 2017, started the project of connecting the Sector 168 STP with nearby green areas via pipelines. The objective behind this project was to stop the misuse of groundwater for irrigation purposes and to make sure that untreated waste did not go into the Yamuna.
The Noida authority on Sunday said that it has completed the laying of 20km pipelines to recycle waste water from Sector 168 sewage treatment plant (STP) to irrigate parks, green belts and other nearby green areas. Sector 168 is home to newly built group housing societies and homebuyers have slowly been shifting into these complexes.
The authority had on May 17, 2017, started the project of connecting the Sector 168 STP with nearby green areas via pipelines. The objective behind this project was to stop the misuse of groundwater for irrigation purposes and to make sure that untreated waste did not go into the Yamuna. The Sector 168 STP located near the Yamuna embankment road has the capacity to treat 40 million litres daily (MLD) of waste water . The STP was constructed to ensure that only treated water is emptied into the Yamuna, which has been facing pollution issues.
“We decided to reuse the treated water for irrigation purposes in the Biodiversity Park located in Sector 91 as well as other green areas located in sectors 84, 85, 86, 91, 93, 137, 138, 140A, 142, 143, 143A and the green area along the Faridabad-Noida-Ghaziabad (FNG) Expressway. The recycling and reuse of waste water is an important aspect of water management, which provides a way to increase the available water, while also preventing the pollution of water bodies by sewage that is otherwise dumped into them untreated,” Rajeev Tyagi, general manager of the Noida authority, said.
The authority laid pipes (90mm to 400mm in diameter) to carry the treated water from the Sector 168 STP to green areas nearby. Earlier, the authority depended upon groundwater for irrigation in these areas.
“As the population in these newly developed areas is increasing, so is the sewage generation. Therefore, we have decided to expand the capacity of the Sector 168 STP from 50MLD to 100MLD. Once it is done, we will be able to irrigate more green areas with this facility,” Tyagi said.
The authority has six STPs across the city with a 34MLD STP and a 25MLD STP in Sector 50, a 33MLD and a 54MLD in Sector 54, a 35MLD in Sector 123 and a 50MLD in Sector 168.
The authority was already reusing the treated water from five STPs to irrigate parks and green belts in sectors 19, 20, 22,23, 25,26,33, 34, 52, 53, 55, 56, 57, 58, 61, 62, 63. The green belts along Noida Expressway and the Noida stadium are being irrigated by STP water.
“Our target is to recycle 100 % of the waste water generated in Noida. We want to make it a zero discharge city. That means we treat every single drop of sewage and reuse it,” Tyagi said.
The authority wants to make the city a zero discharge city because the groundwater table is falling at a rate of 1.5 metres annually in the last five years. And recycling will help groundwater conservation.
“As per the latest Central Pollution Control Board report, at least 60% of sewage generated in urban India is being dumped in rivers, lakes, wells and other water channels, polluting the water bodies and contaminating fresh water sources. Partially treated or untreated sewage is responsible for a large part of the pollution in streams and water bodies. Therefore, by not dumping untreated waste into water bodies in Noida, we help protect natural water bodies in the city,” Tyagi said.
Source : Hindustan Times