A first of its kind Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP) will come up at Autonagar in the city shortly. The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) has cleared decks for construction of the STP with Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) technology.
The STP is estimated to cost Rs.10 crore and will cater to the needs of 90,000 people in and around Autonagar. The corporation will invite tenders shortly for construction of the STP with a capacity of 10 MLD. The proposed STP is one of the treatment plants taken up under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) programme in the city.
Unlike other STPs where anaerobic process is involved, the MBBR uses aerobic process. Hitherto, the VMC had constructed the STPs with Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) technology. The new method makes it possible to attain good efficiency results of disposal with low energy consumption and the process is used for the removal of organic substances.
The biological oxygen demand has to be less than 30 to meet the national standards. These standards could be met with the MBBR technology. The STP is cost-effective, efficient, environment friendly and will bring down expenditure on the power and maintenance, according to officials.
The VMC will construct four STPs and six sump-cum-pump houses under the JNNURM programme in the city. The corporation has planned to construct two STPs at Jakkampudi and another two at Ajithsingh Nagar. The VMC constructed a 40 MLD STP at Ajitsingh Nagar replacing a 27 MLD STP constructed decades ago.
Another two STPs, each with a capacity of 20 MLD, have been taken up under the JNNURM. A 20 MLD STP at Ramalingeswara Nagar has already been completed, while an STP at Jakkampudi is nearing completion, and remaining are in different stages. The works have come to a grinding halt ever since the government froze the release of funds.
