Sewage disposal facilities in Gurgaon fight overload

Gurgaon has three STPs: one at Behrampur with a capacity of 50 million liters per day (MLD) and two at Dhanwapur,with a capacity of 68 MLD (under HUDA) and 30 MLD (under MCG).

Officials cite the example of the 30-MLD STP,which receives around 12 MLD extra sewage water on a daily basis. The extra dirty water received is usually discharged into the drain running parallel to the railway tracks.

Though plant officials say State Pollution Control Board permission has been sought to allow extra water into the drain,the stink from untreated water is unbearable.

“The three reservoirs,where the treated water is stored,are closed for removal of silt,” says an official from the STP. He adds that the plant also receives industrial wastes.

“It becomes very difficult to stand there as the water is full of ammonium,” he says.

The 68-MLD STP in Dhanwapur gets around 90 MLD sewage water. “Our technology is very modern,and despite the extra load,we are managing,” an official said.

At the recently launched 50-MLD STP,officials say only 10 to 12 MLD is being treated at present. “Around 200 MCG tankers come in with sewage everyday and the number is expected to reach 700 when the facility is fully functional,” say STP officials.

The capacity of the plant is expected to reach 20 MLD after the second phase of expansion. According to officials,the consultant for the second phase has already been shortlisted.

A few hundred metres from the Behrampur STP,pools of sewage are seen at the vacant plots,surrounded by colonies.

Sources say tankers dump the sewage in fields and open plots to avoid driving all the way to the plants. In fact,the MCG had recently announced punishment for officials responsible for dumping waste in open areas.

“We cannot force our plants to take more than their capacity. The MCG tankers are now also going to the new plant in Behrampur,” Y K Garg of MCG told Newsline.

The worst effected are the new colonies on the Golf Course Road and Sohna Road. Residents allege that the authorities do not monitor implementation of rules by private players.