Chandigarh MC shuts down STP, Rs 10 crore go down the drain

Defunct for 3 years: Sewage treatment plant was depicted functional on paper for three years, causing MC wasteful expenditure; closed officially only recently.

Lying out of use for three years, the Chandigarh administration has officially shut down the sewage-treatment plant (STP) near 3 Base Repair Depot (BRD), Airforce station. Set up at a cost of around Rs 10 crore 15 years ago, the plant had a capacity to treat 5 million gallons daily (MGD) sewage.

Three years ago, the municipal corporation established that the bio-chemical oxygen demand (BOD) level at the STP was quite high, and the plant had been out of use since.

Three years ago, the municipal corporation established that the bio-chemical oxygen demand (BOD) level at the STP was quite high, and the plant had been out of use since.

However, the authorities concerned continued to show the STP functional on paper, and presented fictitious expenditure.

Another 11 MGD plant, set up by the MC on the same premises in 2013 at a cost of Rs 30 crore, is functioning. However, it’s treating just 6 MGD against the capacity of 11 MGD for want of adequate sewage intake.

MC chief engineer Manoj Bansal said the plant was shut down as it was designed to treat and output sewage with BOD of 30 mg per litre, but was not meeting that target.

On why it was shown as operational for past several years, he said, “I am not aware about that as I joined MC only in November last year.”

Former mayor Pardeep Chhabra said, “if the officers knew the intake was less, the plant should have been closed when the new plant was set up in 2013. MC is already passing through financial straits and still spent several crores on a defunct plant. An inquiry should be marked in this case.” 

Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is the amount of dissolved oxygen needed to break down organic material present in sewage. Its value is expressed in milligrams of oxygen consumed per litre of sample during incubation, and helps determine the degree of organic pollution in the waste water. Therefore, it helps gauge the effectiveness of sewage treatment plants.

After undergoing chemical treatment and sedimentation, the waste water is made suitable for watering lawns and parks as well as for irrigating fields. Tertiary treatment is the final cleaning process that improves wastewater quality before it is reused or recycled.

Survey belied MC’s claims

Last year, a French firm, Egis International, which will upgrade all STPs under the Smart City project, in its report belied the municipal corporation’s claims that its two plants are functioning well.

Sewage treated at its two STPs — Diggian in Phase 11, Mohali, and 3 BRD, near air force station — have high levels of BOD, resulting in foul-smelling water, a study conducted by the French firm found.

At the Diggian plant, the BOD level was around 15mg per litre and over 10mg per litre at the 3 BRD STP. However, the MC claimed that the BOD level is less than 10mg per litre at both these plants.

Even pumping machinery set up at a cost of Rs 1 crore for supplying tertiary treated water was found lying defunct due to inadequate sewage intake.