Mumbai: The Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) aims to save more than Rs 4.61 crore this year towards the maintenance and upkeep of its sewage treatment plants (STP) and pumping stations, which are integral parts of the city’s underground drainage project.
The savings were registered after the MBMC adopted the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system through a private agency. Last year, the civic administration spent Rs16.14 crore, which will effectively be reduced by nearly 42% to Rs11.53 crore.
The underground sewage facility of the twin city has been entirely designed on a decentralised system across ten zones in a radius of 24 sq km. A 107km network of sewer lines has been laid with ten pumping stations and ten STPs to treat 115 million litres per day (MLD) of wastewater.
While eight out of the ten STPs are in operation mode, the remaining two are on the verge of completion. Notably, the MBMC also set up a tertiary treatment plant (TTP) at its existing STP in the Hatkesh area of Kashimira.
Having a capacity of sourcing five MLD treated water, the TTP provides non-potable water for watering trees at municipal gardens, toilet flushing, construction sites and other utilisation options so that people do not waste drinking water for such purposes.
"Apart from savings, the implementation of the SCADA system has a positive impact on the operations, maintenance and process improvement of the twin city’s sewage treatment mechanism,” said municipal commissioner Sanjay Katkar.
“The scope of work for optimal operation under the SCADA system envisages monitoring of tertiary water pressure and quality of live feed with the help of sensors in the existing framework. The field staff is regularly updated and corrective measures are addressed almost immediately,” said city engineer Deepak Khambit.
