Bengaluru: The state government has taken up a mega project aimed at treating sewage water and reuse it to fill up lakes and ponds in the state.
In the backdrop of depletion of ground water, the state government has realized the need to take up this project to reuse the treated water. The government has decided to fill up 110 lakes in the first phase of the project and 189 lakes in the second phase of the project.
Addressing a media conference here on Thursday, Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs T.B. Jayachandra and Minister for Agriculture Krishna Byregowda said the project would be implemented around Bengaluru in the first phase and it would be extended to other parts of the state in the second phase.Bengaluru city receives around 20 TMC of Cauvery water and most of the water is being wasted. Reuse of treated water would be a great help to mitigate water woes in Chikballapur and other areas.
“Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will lay the foundation stone for this project at Devanahalli on Friday. The project is estimated to cost Rs 883 crore to the state exchequer,’’ they said.
The ministers said the sewage water available at Hebbal-Nagawara valley would be treated and the tanks and lakes in Chikballapur, Bengaluru Rural districts will be filled with the treated water during the first phase of the project.
The ministers said Mega Engineering Infrastructure Company has been assigned to implement the project. “Sewage water will be treated at Hebbal, Horamavu and Hennur. The treated water would be pumped to the lakes and tanks in Chikballapur by using five water pumps,’’ the ministers said.
They said treated water has to be pumped to the lakes and tanks situated at higher altitude and there will be no need to use water pumps to supply treated water to the lakes and tanks situated at lower altitude.“This method will be used to fill up small and medium tanks and lakes across the state in the near future,’’ the ministers said.
According to them, Israel has been using this technology to treat sewage water at a small-scale but Karnataka state has taken up this project on a larger scale. “This water can be used for fish farming, drinking water for cattle. It will also help to increase ground water table,’’ they said.
The ministers explained how difficult it is to supply water for irrigation due to the failure of monsoon. “This project (filling up tanks with treated water) will mitigate water scarcity,’’ they said.
