Singapore to help Delhi treat, recycle water

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Delhi Jal Board and the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise signed an agreement on Wednesday for treating and recycling waste water at Coronation Pillar sewage treatment plant to help meet the city’s water demand.

Singapore will help DJB with the technology, and Singapore-based Temasek Foundation will fund 70 per cent of the total project cost with a grant of  Singapore $ 4,63,149, or about Rs 2 crore.

Chief minister Sheila Dikshit, who is also the chairperson of DJB, praised the initiative. “We have to adopt the mantra of reduce, recycle and reuse, and become sustainable,” she said.

DJB chief executive of operations Debashree Mukherji said the collaboration with SCE and Temasek Foundation is the “need of the hour”. “Singapore and Delhi have much in  common in the water sector. Reuse of water will help meet the growing needs of the city,” Mukherji said.

The project may benefit three to four million people. DJB officials say Delhi’s population has increased from 9.4 million in 1991 to 16.3 million in 2011. This has led to increased pressure on the Capital’s water resources. 

According to officials, with population projected to grow to 23 million by 2021, water scarcity remains a real concern. “Through this programme, DJB is keen to tap into Singapore’s experience to develop efficient water recycle and reuse programmes to augment its supply,” a DJB statement said.

A water recycling plant with a capacity of 40 million gallons per day will be set up at Coronation Pillar plant to overcome the issue of dirty water. “The tender for the project will be issued not before the beginning of 2014, but we are hoping that it will be completed in the next four years,” said an official.