Ekolog, a waste management firm based in Poland, has proposed to build a European standard sewage treatment plant in Channarayapatna with an investment of nearly Rs. 10 crore in the project. The company has chosen the town with the population of 45,000 for this pilot project and has plans to showcase it in order to bag future projects in other places.
Channarayapatna was chosen because the director of the company’s India wing, Mr. C.R. Raghu, is from this place.
Speaking to The Hindu on the phone on Saturday, Mr. Raghu said, “We have signed a memorandum of understanding with the State government to take up the construction of sewage treatment plants and waste-to-energy plants worth over $15 million. This is one among the many projects we have proposed for the State,” he said.
Robert Macie Jans, one of the company directors in Poland, and Mr. Raghu visited the town on Saturday and interacted with C.N. Shashidar, president, Channarayaptna Town Municipal Council.
Good capacity
The company had prepared a detailed project report and submitted a proposal to the State government a few of days ago.
“We have proposed to set up a sewage treatment plant that will have the capacity to treat up to six million litres of waste on a daily basis. At present, the sewage generated in the town is about 3MLD. Considering the population growth, we have proposed to build the TSP with the capacity of 6 MLD,” Mr. Raghu said.
Beneficial to farmers
He said the end products of the STP would be helpful for farmers. “The technology will convert the sewage into organic fertiliser that can be sold to farmers free of cost. Water released from the STP can be used to grow plants. This helps farmers in a big way,” he said.
The company has proposed to invest Rs. 10 crores and maintain the system for next 15 years. However, it wants operation and maintenance charges to be covered by the State government. “The project is still in the initial stages. The government is yet to approve it,” he added.
