The trial runs to supply recycled water to industrial units have begun from the tertiary level STP plants in Koparkhairane. The work on another tertiary level STP plant in Airoli is also at the last stage, and the civic chief Abhijit Bangar has directed officials to start the actual supply within a month to the industrial units in the Trans Thane Creek (TTC) industrial area.
The work on laying a separate pipeline to supply recycled water to industrial units is at the last stage. Of the total 53.134 km, the work on the 49.3 km pipeline from Vashi and Koparkhairane STP has been completed.
The civic chief Abhijit Bangar inspected the ongoing work of the STP plants and pipeline and directed officials to speed up the installation of mechanical and electrical equipment in the Tertiary Treatment Plant at Airoli. He asked officials to ensure that the project is executed promptly to start supplying treated water to industrial units. According to senior civic officials, more than 30 industrial units have shown interest to buy treated water from NMMC which is cheaper than they are getting water from MIDC. At present, the industrial units in the TTC area get water from the MIDC at Rs. 22.50 per cubic meter and a total of 50 MLD of water is supplied per day. However, the civic body will provide water with tertiary level treatment at Rs 18.50 per cubic meter. The civic body expects to churn out around Rs 494 crores in the next 15 years by supplying treated water to industrial units.
The newly constructed two civic body tertiary level STP plants in Koparkhairane and Airoli will recycle around 42 and 49 MLD wastewater daily.
For the last several years, the civic body has been planning to utilise the treated water. However, so far, the recycled water has been used only in gardens, parks, and playgrounds in Nerul and Belapur ward. When the civic body had set the STPs in the city, it claimed that recycled water can be used for potable purposes. However, the civic body could not get buyers.
However, the central government was pushing to recycle and use the sewage water. As a result, the civic body has set up two state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plants at Airoli and Koparkhairane under the Central Government's Amrit Mission.
(To receive our E-paper on whatsapp daily, please click here. To receive it on Telegram, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
