The urban development department said STPs should be constructed as per present as well as future needs, keeping in mind the water supply to the area. (File Photo)The state government has directed all civic bodies to set up a sewage treatment plant (STP) only after preparing a detailed project report (DPR) to ensure that they are not of a higher capacity than required, so as to save construction cost.
The state urban development department said the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has informed that many civic bodies are constructing STPs more than the requirement, and that this was leading to an increase in government expenditure.
The STP should be constructed considering the present as well as future requirements, along with the amount of water supply to the area. The department said the planning of the STP will be according to the norms set by Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation (CPHEEO) and the DPR should be prepared before the construction of the STP.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has moved a step ahead and is exploring the possibility of creating a policy on the reuse of treated water to meet the water shortage in the civic jurisdiction.
“The PMC has urged experts to give suggestions on the reuse of treated water and ways to make it sustainable. This will help the civic body to save drinking water that is used for other purposes,” a civic official said.
A large quantity of water is used for construction, washing vehicles and gardening, the official said, adding that the PMC wants a proper plan to reuse treated water and develop a system to make it sustainable.
