The Okhla Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) is 88% complete and will be commissioned next month. It will treat 56.4 crore litres of wastewater per day.
WD News: Delhi Jal Board Vice Chairman Somnath Bharti visited the Okhla Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) that is being developed under Yamuna Action Plan-III. He inspected the plant in the presence of top officials of Delhi Jal Board. Somnath Bharti inspected both the treatment area and construction site of the plant.
Delhi Jal Board is upgrading and rehabilitating four phases of Okhla WWTP under the ongoing project. The DJB Vice Chairman said that the rehabilitation and upgradation work is nearing completion. In a major announcement, he said that Okhla WWTP will be commissioned by June 30, 2023.
He added that Okhla WWTP is Asia’s largest and the world’s fourth largest WWTP, which is being constructed to make the Yamuna River clean. The four phases that are being rehabilitated and upgraded will have a capacity to treat 564 MLD or 56.4 crore litres of wastewater on an everyday basis. The Okhla WWTP will treat wastewater in accordance with the set parameters of 10/10.
With the commissioning of this WWTP, a drastic reduction in the pollution levels of Yamuna is expected, he said.
The construction of Okhla WWTP is in the final stage as the project is already 88% complete. Bharti said that 56.4 crore litres or 564-MLD wastewater channelised from sewer networks will be treated or cleaned daily at this plant. The quantum of treatment would be such (before it falls into Yamuna) that the treated water from the plant could be used for bathing purposes.
The rehabilitation and upgradation work of Okhla WWTP began on June 19, 2019. The total cost of this project is Rs 1,161.17 crore. The WWTP will treat sewage coming from South Delhi, NDMC area and other parts of the national capital. About 40 lakh people are expected to benefit from this project.
Somnath Bharti informed that for the first time in Delhi, UV technology has been employed in a WWTP ever to clean wastewater. This technique is commonly used in RO plants with a purpose of making the water potable/drinkable. Also, Okhla WWTP has been developed with a unique design. The tank of the primary sedimentation unit of the WWTP has been designed in a rectangular shape instead of a circular one. Lamila Filter has been used in this section of the plant. Due to these changes, the time taken for the treatment of wastewater will be reduced to half. Besides, this unit has also been developed in a very small space.
The Delhi Jal Board will construct artificial lakes at Okhla WWTP and reuse the treated/cleaned water of this plant to fill the lakes. 15-20 MGD of treated water from Okhla plants will be reused in the artificial lakes.
The water table of the surrounding areas is expected to rise with the creation of artificial lakes. Water will be extracted from the ground by installing tubewells and be purified again in RO plants before being brought back to the supply system.
The DJB Vice Chairman also inspected the NABL certified lab located in the plant.
Source & image courtesy: DJB
