After two years of negotiations and persuasion, textile mills in Ahmedabad will finally get industrial wastewater at Rs. 30 per kilolitre. The Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) and three major industry associations in the city have approved this price for drawing tertiary treated sewage water for industrial use, aiming to reduce reliance on groundwater, said sources in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).
The AMC standing committee, will examine and approve the construction of a new sewage treatment plant (STP) with a capacity of 240 million litres a day (MLD) for Rs. 335 crores, a new tertiary treatment plant with a capacity of 160MLD for Rs. 509 crores, and a treated sewage storage tank for Rs. 107 crores. The municipal commissioner has been delegated the authority to approve the proposal, and the supply of tertiary treated water will begin after the completion of these STP plants.
The Narol and Danilimda industrial clusters, housing numerous small and medium-scale textile units, heavily rely on groundwater for dyeing, washing, and processing.
This led to the depletion of groundwater and compromised the water quality. Heavy metal contamination and high dissolved solids further complicate wastewater treatment. The civic body officials met with the Ahmedabad Hand Screen Printing Association, Karnavati Textile Association, and Narol Textile Association last November and January 2 this year to understand their needs. All three associations require 160MLD of treated water daily. “We intend to replace the existing 106MLD capacity plant at Pirana with a new plant of 240MLD capacity for Rs. 335.42 crores. Moreover, a tertiary treatment plant of 160MLD capacity will be constructed for Rs. 509 crores,” said a senior AMC official. In addition to the STP and tertiary treatment plants, a distribution network for the treated sewage storage tank for Narol, Danilimda, and Karnavati textile associations will be established for Rs. 107 crores, sources said. The total expenditure for these projects is estimated to be Rs. 951.42 crores, with Rs. 206.2 crores received as a grant and Rs. 745.22 crores covered by gap funding. “Initially, the AMC’s consultant fixed the price for treated sewage water at Rs. 32.50 per kilolitre. After negotiations, the price was finally settled at Rs. 30 per kilolitre, with a 10% fluctuation clause. The prices will be revised according to the Wholesale Price Index,” added the official.
