Nashik: In a first, the civic body plans to recycle treated wastewater from its new sewage treatment plant (STP) in Gangapur on the outskirts of the city, and use this water for various municipal facilities and works. The new STP was constructed two years ago under the govt. scheme AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation). Now, treated water from the plant will be reused for city gardens, tree plantations, traffic islands, industries that need water for processing, and construction activities.
The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) has already received Rs.20 crore in funds for the said recycling project under the 15th Finance Commission. NMC commissioner Manisha Khatri told TOI that they have already started working on it. “We expect the same to be operational within the next six months,” she said. Recycling of wastewater was one of the areas where the civic body could not score well in the Swachh Survekshan. Both in 2022 and 2023, Nashik lagged behind in the Swachh cleanliness ranking of cities in the 10 lakh-plus population category. The latest initiative is an effort to boost the ranking and is expected to be functional within the next six months. The Vasant Kanetkar Garden, spread over 14 acres, is located on the outskirts of Gangapur near the new STP. “We also have plans to irrigate this garden through the treated water. Moreover, we will supply the treated water to various gardens in Nashik city. We are constructing two elevated water tanks with a total capacity of 10 lakh litres to store treated water there,” said a senior NMC official.
The official added, “We will soon lay a water pipeline to carry treated water from the new STP to elevated water tanks, from where it will be further supplied.”
The total project cost of the new Gangapur STP was Rs.50 crore, including the land, and the plant processes 18 MLD (million litres per day) of sewage water. The Centre had provided Rs.29 crore for the construction of the STP and now, has also provided an additional Rs.20 crore to NMC for recycling the treated sewage water. The BOD (biological oxygen demand) level of the treated water of STP is 5.
