CMC acts to prevent foul smell from Nittur treatment plant

At last, Udupi City Municipal Council (CMC) has taken measures to prevent the foul smell emanating from Nittur sewage treatment plant.

The sewage treatment plant (STP), situated adjacent to the national highway, has been the source of the problem due to the irregular functioning of the equipment set up in the area for treating the untreated water.

The plant operates on the principle of degradation of organic matter achieved through bacterial activity. The foul smell has spread to about nearly two kilometers covering the national highway causing problem to commuters.

CMC Environment Engineer Manjunath told Deccan Herald  that the problem keeps repeating as the failure of the equipment used for water treatment in the plant has become common. To overcome the problem, the CMC has decided to take a new initiative which proves feasible in the long run, he added.

Elaborating on the plan, he said the microbial treatment of sewage has been taken up at Nittur. The proposal involves enhancement of degradation of sewage with introducing extra bacteria in the plant. The process will be hastened owing to the more bacteria, which will ensure degradation process efficiently. The process of removing physical, chemical and biological contaminants from the waste water will be more effective through mechanical equipment, he added.

He said the process enables uniform distribution of bacteria all over the content. Measures are taken to meet the standard norms put forth by the Environment Pollution Control Board over discharging the treated water.

Manjunath also said that overhauling of the mechanical equipment has been taken up and the works are on from December. The repair of the aviators is completed and now overhauling of the roughing filters has been taken up. These filters are used primarily as pretreatment for filter systems that may not able to bear high turbidity or suspended solids in the source water. There is also another roughing filter pending for repair. It will also be taken up, he stated.

He added that the microbial treatment itself demands Rs 10 lakh per year, including maintenance. The concentration of bacteria should be maintained for the effective functioning of the process. Tender has been called for the purpose and a company from New Delhi has come forward accepting the terms and conditions. The process will begin shortly, he said.

CMC President Yuvaraj said the civic body is also planning to hold talks and ink an agreement with Udupi Power Corporation Ltd (UPCL) in connection with untreated water at Nittur sewage treatment plant.

He said the agreement involves proposal to carry untreated water from the Nittur sewage treatment plant to UPCL. However, the proposal is in the initial stages. It will also help stop discharge of untreated water into the stream at Kalmady and curtail the foul smell, he added.