In order to ensure the maximum utilisation of water, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has set up state-of-the-art effluent treatment plants (ETP) and sewage treatment plants (STP) at its depots and residential colonies.
The installations are part of the DMRC’s initiative to ensure that the waste water generated from these depots and colonies can be recycled and reused as much as possible.
Five depots of DMRC — Sarita Vihar, Shastri Park, Yamuna Bank, Sultanpur and Khyber Pass along with the residential colonies at Shastri Park, Sarita Vihar and Yamuna Bank — have been equipped with these plants, while the plants at Najafgarh and Dwarka are under renovation.
The treated water generated by these plants is currently being used mostly for horticultural and toilet-related purposes within the depot and residential premises, a metro official said.
“Plans are afoot to have similar facilities in the depots, which are going to come up as part of the third phase of Delhi Metro’s expansion as well. About 125 kilolitres per day (KLD) of water is being reused everyday at these depots from the STPs. At the colonies, about 260 KLD of water is being reused. Feasibility studies are being conducted to explore the possibility of installing similar plants at other locations,” a metro spokesperson said.
From the ETPs, about 18 KLD of water is being reused at the depots.
In order to streamline water conservation measures of the organisation, officials said, a detailed water policy has been put in place since 2013 and efforts are on to achieve the goals set in that policy.
