The British High Commission, Delhi, will soon extend technical assistance for Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board’s “recycle and reuse” tertiary treatment using ultra filtration (TTUF) projects under the Sustainable Cities for Shared Prosperity programme, according to the water board.
In a bid to establish a sustainable alternative source of water supply, the CMWSSB is executing TTUF pilot projects to build a tertiary treatment plants in Nesapakkam and Perungudi each with a capacity to treat 10 million litres a day (mld).
This is part of the efforts to reduce dependence on freshwater and recharge waterbodies with treated wastewater and promote indirect use of recycled water. Treated wastewater would be let into Porur and Perungudi lakes. Water drawn again from these lakes would undergo another round of treatment before being distributed through the existing drinking water supply.
CMWSSB officials said the projects in Chennai was one of the six schemes chosen in various cities, including Bengaluru, for the technical assistance. Nearly 25 projects from different cities were analysed for the flagship programme.
The British High Commission will set up a dedicated team to provide technical assistance and help in capacity building and institutional development from October. The team would provide guidance in adopting international practices, including disaster risk reduction, climate resilience and asset management, while executing the projects, the officials said.
Pilot projects
The pilot projects would be scaled up to 110 mld in both Perungudi and Nesapakkam plants. The capacity would be increased to 260 mld with additions in Kodungaiyur and Koyambedu plants and reclaimed water would be released into nearby lakes. “The detailed project report for the reuse of 260 mld of reclaimed water will be presented to British High Commission’s team for technical scrutiny. The project had been pitched for funding from the World Bank,” said an official.
About 60% of the overall project, including constructing tertiary wastewater treatment plants and laying pipelines from plants to lakes, had been completed so far.
“We are finalising terms for engagement and timeline for the projects. Training programmes for engineers are likely to begin in October. The British High Commission would extend its technical assistance till 2023,” the official added.
