WD News: The Punjab government will ensure the use of tertiary treated water from Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) having a capacity of 2,600 MLD for irrigation to save the fast-depleting groundwater across the state, Shri Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, Punjab Cabinet Minister has said.
Hayer visited the Phagwara STP to review the use of treated water for irrigation on more than 1,000 acres by nearby farmers.
Notably, the water treated by the Phagwara STP, having a capacity of 28 MLD (million litres per day), is being used to irrigate 1,000 acres with the help of an 11-km pipeline laid by the water conservation department, saving nearly 7,500 million litres of groundwater.
Through tertiary treatment, sewerage water is made suitable for irrigation after a chemical treatment and sedimentation process. Tertiary treatment is the final cleaning process that improves wastewater quality before it is reused or recycled. Its Bio-chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) should be less than 10 mg.
Hailing the efforts of the Punjab Pollution Control Board, Sewerage Board, and water conservation, agriculture and farmers’ welfare departments, the minister asked them to work in unison for chalking out a comprehensive plan to use the treated water for irrigation across the state on the lines of the Phagwara STP, which had also received the National Water Mission Award.
The minister also facilitated farmers from nearby villages who use the treated water through the STP.
Sharing their experiences, farmers Satnam Singh and Palwinder Singh said around 260 farmers nearby were using water from the plant for irrigation of 1,000 acres, which had not only saved groundwater and electricity, but also helped in reducing the use of urea.
Source: Hindustan Times
Image courtesy: Pixabay
