Pipeline, STP works at Bellandur Lake pick up

BENGALURU:  The replacement of 40-year-old clogged sewage pipes is going on round-the-clock along the 16-km stretch from Shantala Silks (near KSR railway station) to the National Games Village in Koramangala. What makes this project stand out is that Pre-stressed Concrete Cylinder (PCC) pipes are being used for the first time in the country. 

The Rs 130-crore pipe-laying project, which started two years ago, is progressing simultaneously with the construction of a Rs 290-crore Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) near Bellandur Lake to treat sewage water coming through the pipelines, before being let into water bodies. The STP will be able to treat between 150 and 160 million litres of sewage water per day. 

Speaking to TNIE, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) Chairman N Jayaram said that 14.2 km of the 16-km stretch has already been completed. “The remaining portion of the pipeline will be completed in three months.

The STP is also set to be ready for operations. By January 2021, we are looking at putting an end to pollution caused by entry of sewage into Bellandur,

Varthur and Agara Lakes.” While MS (mild steel) pipes had been used for projects so far, the PCC pipes are of superior quality and absorb the Methane odour emanating from sewage. “We discussed this with experts, including scientists from the IISc, and decided on this specific material for the pipes though it would cost more,” Jayaram said. 

BWSSB encountered stiff opposition from the public in a few areas when they were in the process of laying the pipes. A 600-metre stretch, where the pipeline is being laid presently, passes through Cubbonpet, Sultanpet and surrounding areas which have narrow roads and are deeply congested.