In a first, Salt Lake pumping stns to be upgraded with high-power machines

Kolkata: The eight drainage pumping stations in Salt Lake are set for their first upgrade ever since the machines were installed in 1980s. For the first time in around 40 years, new high-power pumps and upgraded machines will replaced the old ones to increase their capacity to flush out excess storm water following heavy bouts of rain. Besides, the Municipal Corporation (BMC) is setting up two new drainage pumping stations off Kestopur and drainage channel, while Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority (NDITA) is also installing the fifth drainage pumping station for Sector V area. BMC MMiC (drainage and waste management) Debraj Chakraborty said the old pumps of the eight sewerage and drainage stations would be replaced with new, high-power pumps for the first time in nearly 40 years. “The existing pumps in these sewage pumping stations were installed about 40 years ago. The upgrade with new machines is estimated to cost nearly Rs 10 crore. Besides, two additional drainage pumping stations are also coming up. Installation work is going on and the entire project is expected to be completed before the onset of monsoon by the end of this month,” Chakraborty said. Officials said that each of the new pumps will be of about 150 HP capacity or more as each of the pumping stations will have a set of about seven to eight such high power pumps to flush out stormwater. “There are some technical issues as not all pumps are operated at the same time and some pumps could not be operated at a stretch for a long time. The aim is to operate the pumping stations to its optimum capacity,” said an official. The entire drainage and sewer water of Salt Lake is drained out to Kestopur canal, which is the main drainage outlet canal. The drainage water from Salt Lake’s Sector I and II directly gets discharged into the Kestopur canal through various outlets, while that of Sector III is discharged into the eastern drainage channel, also linked to Kestopur canal. Though the pumping stations had been set up in the 1980s, the erstwhile Bidhannagar Municipality, which had come into being in 1995, had not carried out any upgrade. KMDA is also preparing a detailed drainage system upgrade master plan for Bidhannagar and Barrackpore area, which is being planned to be executed with the help of Asian Development Bank fund.