Rajahmundry: To contain pollution of ground water tables and also surface water in water bodies like Godavari river, canals and tanks, a Fecal Sludge Treatment Plant is being set up at a cost of Rs 1.02 cr at Narasapuram in West Godavari shortly.
The Swachh Andhra Corporation and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have entered into a memorandum of understanding to set up 15 KLD capacity FSTP in about an acre land at Ward No. 15 near burial ground in the town.
The Administrative Staff College of India, London based professional services firm Ernst & Young and University of Chicago are roped in to execute the FSTP with the grant of Rs 1.02 crore from BMGF with Bengaluru based Tide Technocrats Private Limited as a technical consultant. The plant is going to become operational by October and similar plants are going to set up at Palacole and Kovvur in West Godavari soon.
The town is having a population of about 16,000 households and on an average eight to 12 kilo litres of fecal sludge gets generated per day. The state government has issued GO No. 134 specifying the management practices of fecal sludge. Accordingly, the authorities have identified two trucks having the capacity of about four kilo litres each and issued licence to operate the trucks to transport fecal sludge to the FSTP multiple times in a day.
The fecal sludge once dumped into the treatment plant will be burnt at about 170 degrees Centigrade and it gets converted as an activated carbon or activated charcoal and treated water will be released.
The charcoal will be mixed with fertilizer or compost to be used as manure for plants and fields and the treated water will be used to raise plants in the park which is being developed at the FSTP site.
Though the state government is encouraging construction of Individual Sanitary Latrines in a big way by providing 100% subsidy for construction of each ISL to promote Open Defecation Free towns and villages in the state, these ISLs will collect fecal sludge in septic tanks and they need to be cleared for every two to three years. The fecal sludge in these septic tanks pollute ground water tables. Unauthorised operators who collect fecal sludge by cleaning the septic tanks in trucks, dump the sludge in water bodies like Godavari river, canals and tanks illegally causing their pollution.
The authorities say that the present FSTP is an ‘ODF plus concept’ where ground water tables, surface water sources will be free from pollution of fecal matter.
Narasapuram municipal commissioner B.V. Ramana said, “It is for the first time an FSTP is being set up in the town as an advanced concept of ODF by the state government with the financial and technical support from International NGO and other agencies. We expect the plant to become operational by October.”
