Industries evince interest in water purchase

Three industries here have expressed interest in purchasing water that will be treated by the Coimbatore Corporation at its sewage treatment plants.At a workshop on water management, organised here on Tuesday by the Confederation of Indian Industry, Corporation Commissioner Anshul Mishra said the total capacity of the sewage treatment plants at Ukkadam, Nanjundapuram and Ondiupudur, which would come up as part of the Underground Sewerage Scheme, would be 170 million litres a day (mld). The treatment would be started soon and initially about 20 mld would be treated. Three industries had come forward to purchase the treated (non-potable) water.

The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, was studying the feasibility of selling the treated water and the pricing issue. The Commissioner said he had suggested to the industries to form a consortium. For the treatment plant that would come up at Ondipudur, the Corporation was looking at the public-private partnership mode.

On rejuvenation of the water bodies, he said the Corporation had taken up the work at eight water bodies here under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission at a cost of Rs. 130 crore. There should be a system to maintain the water bodies after the rejuvenation works. “We need a sustainable system,” he said. The Corporation had prepared a project report and would consider the public- private partnership mode to create facilities to generate revenue.

Mr. Mishra also highlighted the need to economise water usage and minimise distribution losses. “We need to increase the standards in water supply management,” he said.

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