Delhi on Wednesday signed an
agreement with Singapore to set up waste water treatment plants that will
generate ‘new water’ for the city’s consumption. ‘New Water’ as it is popularly
called is treated sewage and waste water that is being increasingly used in
cities where water is in short supply.
The waste water is treated
extensively and made fit for use. Singapore has an expertise in setting up ‘new
water’ plants and is considered a successful model of waste water recycling and
reuse.
The city’s water supplier, the Delhi
Jal Board, has been proposing to set up ‘new water’ plants here to reduce the
gap between demand and supply.
On Wednesday the water utility
signed an agreement with the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE) and Temasek
Foundation, Singapore (TF), to share their experience in planning and design of
recycle and reuse of treated sewage and wastewater on a public private
partnership (PPP) basis.
Co-funded
The programme will be supported by
Temasek Foundation with a grant amount of SGD $463,149 and co-funded by the
DJB. Under the partnership a water reclamation plant of 40 MGD will be set up
at the Coronation Pillar plant and benefit three to four million consumers.
According to a DJB official, under
the grant agreement, the programme will provide advisory and a series of
capacity building activities to assist the DJB in achieving an in-depth
understanding on the benefits and challenges for developing an integrated and
holistic water management framework.
“This includes recycle and reuse of
treated sewage and wastewater and sharing the experiences and lessons learnt
from Singapore with the development of policy frameworks and actions required
to implement water recycling strategies,” said the official.
Referring to the need for
alternatives like ‘new water’, the DJB official said: “The population of Delhi
has increased from 9.4 million in 1991 to 16.3 million in 2011. There has been
an ever-increasing pressure on its existing water resources. With the
population projected to grow to 23 million by 2021, the water scarcity scenario
remains a real concern.”
It was pointed out that since
Singapore has tackled similar water scarcity issues through its highly
successful ‘new water programme’, and set a benchmark in the implementation of
recycle and reuse projects for indirect potable and direct non-potable
application, the DJB is keen to tap into Singapore’s experience.
The grant agreement was signed by
Debashree Mukherjee, Chief Executive Officer of DJB, and Alphonsus Chia, Chief
Executive Officer of Singapore Cooperation Enterprise, in the presence of Delhi
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Jonathon Tow, Singapore Acting High Commissioner
to India, and Benedict Cheong, Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Foundation.
Speaking on the occasion, Ms.
Dikshit said there was a need to “adopt the mantra of the three “Rs” -- reduce,
recycle and reuse to become self-sustainable.”
· To be
supported by Temasek Foundation’s grant amount of SGD $463,149
· Water
reclamation plant of 40 MGD to be set up at Coronation Pillar plant
No comments:
Post a Comment