Noida bags Centre’s water warrior award

Noida got the award in two categories --the best sewage treatment plant (STP) and water reuse project of the year

The department of water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation of the Union water ministry has selected Noida as “water warrior” city for the steps it took for waste water treatment and reuse for irrigation purposes.

A view of the sewage treatment plant (STP) in Sector 54. The department of water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation, ministry of Jal Shakti, selected Noida as 'water warrior' city for steps taken to treat and reuse wastewater. The Noida authority additional chief executive officer Satish Pal received the award in Delhi on Monday. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

The Noida authority additional chief executive officer Satish Pal and deputy general manager RP Singh of the authority’s water department received the award in Delhi on Monday.

“The department of water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation, ministry of Jal Shakti, felicitated Noida for its water conservation efforts at the World Water Award 2023-24. Noida got the award in two categories --the best sewage treatment plant (STP) and water reuse project of the year. Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat presented us the award in Delhi,” said Satish Pal.

Currently, eight STPs operate in Noida and have a total capacity of 411 MLD (million litres daily). These plants currently treat 260MLD of sewage. Of this, 70-75 MLD is utilised for various purposes such as irrigation of green belt parks, golf courses, wetlands; construction activities; firefighting; pond maintenance; and sprinkling on roads, officials said.

In the upcoming fiscal 2024-25, the authority has set a target to increase the usage of treated water to 125MLD. Officials said to enhance the quality of treated water, the authority has upgraded existing STPs with tertiary treatment plants and they are connected with the Central Pollution Control Board server online.

The authority has decided to construct dedicated STPs along eight drains, while an equal number of drains will undergo in-situ methods of cleaning. This will ensure that only clean water reaches the Yamuna.