Delegates from Japan visit STP in Zirakpur

Satinder Pal Singh

Zirakpur, December 4

A team comprising delegates from Japan and the local Municipal Council today visited the sewerage treatment plant (STP) at Singhpura village here to get feedback on how things can be improved to upgrade the existing STP with the latest technology and expand its capacity.

The team comprised of three members from Japan - Raymond Neil, Yoshitomo Nakata and Ding Quing, along with Sukhjinder Singh Sidhu, Executive Officer, Zirakpur, Mukesh Roy, ME, Zirakpur, and other officials.

MC officials apprised the delegate members of the operational status of the existing STP. The delegates put forth the drawbacks in the STP and wanted the anomalies to be rectified.

The delegates discussed the latest technology for treating the liquid and solid waste. Meanwhile, a joint sampling of effluents reaching the STP and the water released after treatment were also collected for analysis.

The Executive Officer, Zirakpur Municipal Council, while speaking with The Tribune, said the team of delegates from Japan visited the STP here and discussed a proposal for treating the liquid and solid waste with their latest technology. Their technology converts the wet solid waste into charcoal in matter of no time, which could be used to burn as a fuel.

The EO said the delegates had sought a comprehensive sewage treatment plan. A meeting with them would be held shortly in which they would decide on the method to enforce the latest technology for treating the waste.

In September this year, a team comprising officials of the Punjab Pollution Control Board, Water Supply and Sewerage Board and Zirakpur Municipal Council, visited the godown area of Bhabat village and carried out an inspection of various sewer pipelines going to the STP after it has been alleged that untreated water was being disposed of in MC sewers.

The survey comes after the officials of the Water Supply and Sewerage Board had complained to the PPCB alleging presence of some greasy like effluents found in the STP as it can impact the working of the STP (17mld), which is situated at Singhpura village, Zirakpur.

Officials monitoring the working of the STP pointed out that the problem of getting greasy substance in the STP was since one year. For the past 7-8 months, things at the plant had gone from bad to worse.

The EO said the civic body was planning to install CCTVs in the area and those found letting out untreated waste into these sewer lines would not be spared.