Faridabad STPs functioning below capacity

Faridabad, May 4

A sewage treatment plant (STP) with a capacity of 45 million litres per day (MLD) located in Badshahpur village in the civic limits has become a source of pollution because it is not working as per the standards.

“The STP was constructed around 23 years ago under the Yamuna Action Plan and cost several crores but has been non-functional for several years,” said Naresh, a local resident.

Untreated waste from the plant is being discharged into an open drain, leading to contamination of air and underground water, he added.

Though a new STP has been set up adjacent to the old one, it has been working at half its capacity, 15 MLD insead of 30 MLD. “The main passage leading to the new STP remains waterlogged round the clock,” said another resident.

Complaints have been lodged with the National Mission for Clean Ganga portal by residents. The Municipal Corporation (MC), Faridabad, imposed a penalty of Rs 90 lakh on the STP contractor in August 2020 for failure to ensure proper upkeep of the STP.

Residents claim that the present 15 MLD treatment capacity is negligible compared to the required capacity of around 500 MLD. They blame inefficiency and corruption for the STP working at half its capacity.

According to MC officials, besides the operational 30 MLD STP in Badshahpur, two more STPs in Mirzapur and Pratapgarh villages with the capacity of 80 MLD and 100 MLD, respectively, are likely to come up this year.