The
Asian Age: New
Delhi:
Monday, 23 March 2015.
2,225 MLD of
untreated water seeps into ground or discharged into Yamuna.
About 2,225
million litres per day (MLD) of untreated water is either seeping into the
ground or being discharged into the Yamuna on a daily basis as the city’s
sewage treatment plants (STPs) remain partially utilised and treat only 40 per
cent of the sewage generated in the national capital.
According to
an application filed under the Right to Information, the national pollution
monitoring body Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has carried out a study
on performance evaluation of the sewage treatment plants located in the city.
The study has revealed that the city generates 3,800 MLD of waste water per day
whereas the present installed treatment capacity is 2,603.7 MLD and the actual
utilisation is just 1,575.8 million litres per day.
Expressing
“shock” that the city like Delhi was not equipped to treat entire sewage
generated, RTI applicant and Delhi-based lawyer Subodh Jain said the current
infrastructure could only process 69 per cent of sewage. “But due to negligence
of the government, only 40 per cent of waste water is getting treated. The
government is spending crores on setting up STPs but they are massively
under-utilised.”
The STPs are
insufficient and highly under-utilised, the RTI reply said. Out of 18 operation
STPs in Delhi, only three treatment plants are working at full capacity. The
RTI reply highlighted that other STPs are working 20-30 per cent below their
capacity.
“Only STPs at
Chilla, Delhi Gate and Dr Sen Nursing Home are working at their full capacity
of 40.5 MLD, 9.9 MLD and 9.9 MLD respectively. But 22.5 MLD treatment plant at
Ghitorni is unused with zero output,” the CPCB said.
Keshopur
treatment plant with a capacity of 504 MLD is only processing 307 MLD.
Similarly, treatment plant at Kondli has a capacity of 315 MLD but is utilising
only 137 MLD of waste water.
Environmentalists
claim that by not treating sewage, the DJB is not only making residents of the
city vulnerable to several diseases, but are also killing the Yamuna river.
“Majority of
untreated water goes into the Yamuna and further pollutes the river. Some of
the grey water also seeps into the ground through drains. Untreated sewage is a
potential threat to society, fresh water and the Yamuna,” Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan
convenor Manoj Misra said.
“Major
component of waste water is Coliform bacteria which can cause several diseases
if it is mixed with drinking water. Other pollutant includes heavy metal and
nitrogen. Pollutants also takes oxygen level of water to zero...,” Mr Mishra
said.
He said the
treated water at STPs can be used to replace the usage of fresh water. “At
present, we are wasting fresh water for such work where treated water can be
used. Sewage treated at STPs are best for irrigation, cleaning and industrial
use,” Mr Mishra added.
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