Pune Infra Watch: PMC to recycle muddy water discharged from Parvati water treatment plant

The PMC draws water from four dams – Khadakwasla, Temghar, Varasgaon, and Panshet – while some parts of the city get water from the Bhama Askhed dam. In the last few years, Pune has been facing water scarcity during summer forcing the civic body to take measures to stop misuse of potable water and reduce the loss due to leakages.

A small capacity water treatment plant is being set up to treat the muddy water discharged from the large treatment plant of 300 MLD capacity in Parvati, said Nandkishore Jagtap, superintendent engineer in the civic water supply department.

“Around four per cent of water of the total capacity of the water treatment plant is lost for cleaning the filter bed and is released in nallah. Accordingly, the small unit will recycle 12 MLD of water which will meet the water needs of around 80,000 residents. This is equivalent to the population of a large locality of 20,000 houses in the city,” the officer explained.

The cost of the project is Rs 2.5 crore but it will be a permanent solution to stop the wastage of water at Parvati water treatment plant, Jagtap said and added that similar units will be set up at other large water treatment plants that have discharge of muddy water.

The civic body has set up large-capacity water treatment plants at Parvati, Vadgaon Budhruk, Pune Cantonment, Warje, and Holkar Bridge where the water from dams is treated before being supplied through a network of pipelines.

The treatment of water at various plants is done using alum and the water is separated from mud. The filter bed at the treatment plant is cleaned twice a day and the sludge is removed and the muddy water is released in the nearby canal. “It has been a normal practice to release the muddy water in nallah. Now, we have decided to clean this water and make it potable,” he said.

Civic activist Vaishali Patkar of Bhujal Abhiyan said every drop of water counts and the efforts of PMC to recycle the muddy water that was discharged in nallah was a good initiative. “The population of the city is increasing and there is a need to ensure that their water demand is met efficiently. Every drop saved is like generating equal amounts of water,” she said.

The civic body also has the task of stopping the leakage of water through its supply network, Patkar said.

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The state water resources department has also planned to build a tunnel to carry water for irrigation purposes instead of an open canal to avoid loss due to evaporation.