Delhi commissions pilot sewage treatment plant to solve water demand

Indian capital Delhi is set to solve its potable water woes as chief minister Arvind Kejriwal turned Keshopur Sewage Treatment Plant operational at Vikaspuri.

The wastewater recycling plant is a part of a pilot project termed ‘Sujala Dhara’, which is a joint initiative of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and Social Awareness Newer Alternatives (SANA) that operates as a non-governmental organisation (NGO).

Keshopur Sewage Treatment Plant uses solar energy to process raw sewage waste into safe and potable drinking water, reports The Press Trust of India.

The installed water purifying station has a production capacity of around 4,000 litre of clean water per hour.

The facility can generate more than 33,000 litres of water daily if powered only by solar energy, which can be raised up to 72,000 litres daily if powered by both solar and electricity.

Sana founder Sanchaita Gajapati Raju was quoted by the news agency as saying: "We first take out physical things out of the sewage followed by Bio-filter process where it passed through seven/eight layers of organic and non-organic material.

"Then the treated water is taken for membrane filter to make it drinkable."

Recycled water from the facility has been tested for quality by DJB and also in private laboratories to check if it is safe for drinking.

The pilot project has been initiated to test the technology which can meet drinking water demands of nearly 30,000 residents daily.

DJB CEO S.S. Yadav said: "If we succeed it will be implemented at large scale. We will try to make usage of treated water popular as in foreign countries."

The water authority will open counter in parts of the city to promote the usage of recycled water. Sana intends to support the initiative by starting a social awareness campaign to encourage people to use recycled water.

DJB and Sana will co-ordinate for further distribution of treated water to local communities in order to redress water crisis in the city.

Delhi has been suffering from acute shortage of water with the ground water level and quality of other water bodies gradually deteriorating.