Revamp of Sewage Treatment Plant begins

Work on revamping the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at Panjappur on the outskirts of the city has begun.

A vast tract of land located on the Tiruchi-Madurai highway has been under use for discharging and processing the sewage being collected from different parts of the city for more than 20 years. A sewage treatment plant was established in 1995 as part of the phase-I underground drainage project.

It was set up as per the Waste Stabilisation Pond Method. As per the method, the sewage water, after being processed through the STP, will be released into ponds which absorb the water. In the initial stages of the phase-I UGD project, the processed water was used for irrigation. The land has the capacity to process 85 MLD. Of it, only 58 MLD is being used for treating the sewage generated from households. The rest can be used to treat 30 MLD of sewage water.

Since the unused land is needed to be modified in accordance with the Waste Stabilisation Pond method, the Tiruchi Corporation has decided to establish the needed infrastructure for the treatment process.

Corporation sources told The Hindu that it would be revamped so as to use the unused land. If needed, the machinery would also be repaired. The component had been included in the phase-II UGD project, which was being implemented in various parts of the city. The work had already begun and was planned for completion within six months.