Rashtrapati Bhawan to use wetlands to treat sewage

Through the process,2 million litres of water generated from toilets,bathrooms and the kitchens of the Bhawan will be treated daily.

Traditional sewage water treatment involves processing it physically,chemically and biologically,but the new concept entails creating an artificial marsh where plants like hyacinth and sedge that resemble grass will treat the sewage and remove its impurities.

The plants (roots and stems) contain microorganisms that feed on sewage and break down waste.

The process will then lead to clean water that will be deposited in an existing artificial lake in Rashtrapati Bhawan from where it will be used to water its famous gardens,and used in coolers.

Dr Atul K Mittal,Associate Professor from Department of Civil Engineering,IIT-Delhi,who is spearheading the process says that before the water is sent to the “constructed wetland”,it will be first treated with the traditional use of bacteria to clean it to some extent.

Commenting on the use of constructed wetlands,he said,“Their use has a psychological effect on users who are more willing to use the water from a wetland directly than from a processing unit.”

Though the sewage treatment project is part of Pratibha Patil’s “Roshni” initiative to introduce the concept of recycling in the Rashtrapati Bhawan,former President APJ Abdul Kalam,who wanted to set an example,had first initiated the project.

In 2005,when Kalam was President,the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI),a constituent laboratory of CSIR,had worked on the feasibility of having a sewage water treatment unit. After the project report was submitted,IIT-Delhi was asked to submit the technology to be used.

“There are around 10,000 people living in the Bhawan and they generate around 2 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage. Through our project we will collect the water in one place and process it,” Mittal added.

The solids that will be left as residue will also be used to manure the gardens in future.