Now, prepare to ‘breathe easy’ along the Musi

Once the Attapur sewerage treatment plant is commissioned, pollution in the Musi river will be reduced to a considerable extent

Next time you ride through the High Court road you need not hold your breath. The awful smell emanating from the Musi will soon be a thing of the past. One will be in for this pleasant surprise at most places where the open sewer, which the Musi is reduced to, flows by.

This has become a distinct possibility, with the completion of the much delayed Attapur sewerage treatment plant (STP). The 51 MLD STP, which is ready for commissioning, brings down the curtain on Phase-1 of the National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD) aimed at mitigating pollution in Musi river.

As part of the Rs. 335-crore project, STPs have already been commissioned at Amberpet (339 MLD), Nagole (172 MLD) and Nallacheruvu (30 MLD). With the opening of the Attapur plant, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) will be in a position to treat a total of 592 MLD sewerage.

Though work on the Rs. 31.51-crore STP at Attapur commenced in May 2009, the project got delayed thanks to land dispute hampering the handing over of the site. Now, the project is complete in all respects except for power supply, SCADA and approach road. Once the STP is commissioned pollution in the Musi can be brought down to a great extent.

Officials expect sharp difference in various effluent parameters. For instance, BOD, which is 250 mg/l before treatment, will come down to 30 mg/l after treatment. Similarly, COD levels will fall from 500 mg/l to 50 mg/l, total dissolved solids from 400 mg/l to 50 mg/l and fecal coliform from 5,00,000 MPN/100ml to 10,000 MPN/100 ml after treatment.

“The sewage will be treated to river disposal standards, and it will be possible to maintain the river ecology,” said G. Rameshwara Rao, Chief General Manager, HMWSSB.

Two intercepting pumping stations have been built – one at Bahadurpura (31 MLD) and the other at Mughal ka Nala (20 MLD). The sewage collected from these mains will flow to Attapur STP for treatment.

For the first time, the authorities have adopted advanced C-Tech treatment technology. An improved activated sludge treatment process, it operates in batch reactor mode. The process takes place in a single reactor, with all biological treatment steps occurring sequentially.

“The biggest advantage of C-Tech is its operational simplicity. Further, it also prevents malfunctioning of other set process parameters within the plant,” said Mr. Rao.

Phase-II of NRCD, which aims at further improving the hygienic conditions and environs all along the Musi river stretch in the city, is also in the pipeline. The Rs. 922.97-crore project aims at treating 610 MLD sewage through 10 new STPs proposed at Ameberpet, Nagole, Nallacheruvu, Hydershakote, Attapur, Miralam, Fathenagar, IDPL Township, Nagaram and Kuntlur (Hyathnagar).