Rs 300cr sewage treatment plan for Udaipur city

Jaipur: Better late than never.

Udaipur

, the city of lakes, is all set to rapidly transform its waste management system and clean its water bodies of urban sewage.

An integrated Rs 300-crore sewerage treatment plan for the entire city has been prepared under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) programme. The project plans to treat the sewage flowing into Ahar or Ayad river, also known as the neglected Ganga of Rajasthan.

“Ayad river of Udaipur has turned into a sewage drain and needs to be revived. The state-level technical committee (SLTC) had sanctioned Rs 304 crore for sewage treatment in the city. Presently, there are 139 drains that carry city sewage to the river. Four agencies have been engaged for the treatment project which is scheduled to be completed before the monsoon of 2019,” said Dr Manjit Singh, principal secretary, local self-government, and state mission director, Smart City Mission & AMRUT.

According to officials, the municipal corporation prepared the integrated DPR of the sewerage plant for Udaipur city and the same has been approved under the AMRUT mission by SLTC.

Two proposals were prepared for the river which is the lifeline of the tourist city. While the first proposal seeks to carry sewage from all drains along the Ayad river through covered conduit to a STP, the second plan is to construct a decentralized sewerage treatment system near the river to treat effluents throughout the year.

In Phase I, the area close to the lakes would be covered at an estimated cost of Rs 5.75 crore. “Work on the lifting station at Naganagari and Lalghat has been completed and work is in progress at Maharaj Ghat, Nathi Ghat, Sisarama and Pipli Ghat. In Phase II, a decentralized 40MLD STP, based on the hybrid annuity model, would be set up at a cost of Rs 304 crore. Udaipur Smart City Ltd (USCL) has issued the work order for the sewerage plant and the project is in progress. So far, over 4km sewer lines have been laid,” said Sidharth Sihag, CEO, Udaipur Municipal Corporation (UMC).

Besides these government projects, Hindustan Zinc Ltd is constructing three STPs—a 5MLD plant near Kazrali House, 10MLD near FCI godown and 25MLD STP at Eklingpura. “At present, the sewerage plant covers 20.3% of the Udaipur city. But after the completion of the above projects, the coverage will be 62.5%. While the current sewage discharge of the city is 57MLD, the sewage treatment capacity of all the plants on completion would be more than the discharge,” said Dr Manjit.