Complete upgradation of STPs by March 31, Chandigarh told

CHANDIGARH: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the UT administration and the municipal corporation (MC) to complete the upgradation of all six sewage treatment plants (STPs) by March 31, 2021.
The fresh directions were issued during a recent hearing through videoconferencing conducted by a NGT committee and attended by officials of the administration, MC and Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee (CPCC).
The administration would spend Rs 808 crore on the upgradation of the five STPs. A senior official said these STPs will meet all norms of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The agency which will be allotted the work will have to maintain them for 10 years, he said.
Officials said they have re-started the process to construct a new STP at Kishangarh. Initially, the work was to be completed by the Chandigarh Smart City Limited (CSCL). A tender was even floated but it failed to succeed. Recently, the work was given to the engineering department, which floated a fresh tender. The STP will solve the problem of sewage entering Sukhna forest area and the treated water will fill the lake throughout the year, according to the officials.
The new STP will fulfil the latest norms of CPCB and have 2 MLD capacity. Effluent from the STP at Kishangarh will be used for filling up Sukhna during dry weather and latest membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology will be used for producing effluent of very high quality, officials said.