Nagpur: Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) has commissioned one of eight sewage treatment plants (STP) planned with a view to reduce pollution in three lakes and two rivers of the city. Ambazari and Sonegaon lakes are set to become sewage-free under the project.
The civic agency has commissioned STP of 1 million litres per day (MLD) capacity on a sewage line at Kachimet on Amravati road over a month ago. The sewage from this has been flowing into Nag river and Ambazari lake without treatment for years.
This is NIT’s first STP and also city’s first to protect a lake. STP has been constructed using continuous aerobic multistage soil bio technology (CAMUS-SBT) developed by IIT Bombay. The forest department in association with NEERI has planned to construct another 5 MLD STP on Nag river in under-construction biodiversity park adjacent to Ambazari lake. These two STPs will ensure no untreated sewage flows into Ambazari lake.
NIT assistant engineer PR Patil told TOI another STP was under-construction at Sonegaon lake. “It will be of 0.3 MLD and is being developed on NEERI’s phytorid technology. It will ensure no sewage flows into the lake without treatment,” he said.
Under the guidance of NIT chairman Ashwin Mudgal, NIT projects department team comprising superintending engineer RK Pimple and Patil had planned to construct eight STPs with total capacity of 61.30 MLD at an estimated cost of Rs 110 crore.
Of remaining six, two 40 MLD STPs are being constructed on Pora river at Somalwada, one with capacity of 3 MLD on Pili river at Nara, two on Hatti nullah at Hazari Pahad and Chamar nullah at Ittabutti area with capacity of 4 MLD and 9 MLD respectively (these two nullahs join Pili river) and one with capacity of 4 MLD on sewage line that joins Gorewada lake that is raw drinking water reservoir of the city.
NIT has entrusted the project to joint venture of Vishvaraj Infrastructure Ltd and Ayyappa Infra Projects Pvt Ltd. NIT is hopeful to commission remaining seven STPs within a year. A salient feature of the project is that NIT has also given responsibility of operation and maintenance of the plants to the joint venture for five years.
