Directing the waste to its useful end, The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Directing the waste to its useful end: "

In what could clean up the sewage-choked valleys of the city, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) will soon take up linking of the main sewers to its treatment plants on the outskirts of the city.Instead of being directed to a treatment plant, the city's sewage flows into stormwater drains, which are meant to carry rainwater — one key reason why flooding is common during rains.Since the stormwater drains are linked to the city's lakes and the two rivers Arkavathy and Vrishabhavathi, it has polluted these water sources and contaminated ground water.Under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, the water board has submitted a project report to the Union Government for approval to remodel 80 km of main sewage lines, which lie along the seven valleys of the city, for Rs. 176.75 crore.
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The treatment plant at Koramangala and Challaghatta valleys treat 120 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage when its capacity is 248 MLD. The treatment plant at Hebbal treats 35 MLD when its capacity is 60 MLD, Mr. Basavaraj said.

The treatment plant at Yelahanka works at 5 MLD when its capacity is 10 MLD and Vrishabhavthi treatment plant treats only 110 MLD when 183 MLD is its total capacity.

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Storm water drain remodelling makes little progress

The Hindu : Front Page : Storm water drain remodelling makes little progress

Though the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) realised early in the new millennium that the storm water drains in Bangalore city needed an overhaul, a project to achieve this has made little progress.

The initial efforts to remove silt from the storm water drains succeeded only marginally and the Mahanagara Palike had to think of a major project to improve the infrastructure. Rapid urbanisation has taken a toll of the storm water drains too, which have been encroached upon by real estate zealots. This and the dumping of waste in the drains by the people and the crumbling infrastructure have led to the flooding of the low-lying areas during heavy rain. The project called "remodelling of storm water drains" received its first budgetary allocation in 2002-03 when the Mahanagara Palike set aside Rs. 20 crore for it. However, that year the Mahanagara Palike could spend only about Rs. 1 crore. The project was taken up earnestly only in 2005-06 when the works were awarded to contractors. The initial cost of the project was estimated at Rs. 200 crore and it was revised to Rs. 418 crore.

After the project gathered momentum, Rs. 30 crore was spent. The BBMP plans to complete the project at a cost of Rs. 357 crore in this financial year. The contractors were given 18 months to complete it. Former officials of the Mahanagara Palike say that some of contractors have not shown the required progress. The former Mayor, P.R. Ramesh, alleged that the contractors were not penalised for the delay, though the contractual terms provided for that. The 18-month deadline was coming to an end but the actual progress was less than 30 per cent, Mr. Ramesh said.

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