Skip to main content

First-of-its-kind? 'Eco-friendly, low cost' sewage treatment system installed in Gujarat

Counterview Desk
Following the installation of the Unconventional Decentralized Multi-Stage Reactor (UDMSR) for sewage treatment, a note on what is claimed to be the  first-of-its-kind technology said, the treated sewage from this system “can be directly utilized for agricultural purposes”, even as proving to be a “saviour in the times of water crisis.”
Developed by Dr Upendra D Patel, professor at the Civil Engineering Department, Faculty of Technology and Engineering, Maharaja Sayajirao University Baroda, the note said, the technology” its operation and maintenance “does not require any daily computations or analyses, and hence, no skilled labour is required”, and “the only energy requirement lies with the operation of pumps”, which can be done with the help of solar panels, which may be “installed above the reactor.”
“UDMSR is a low-cost and reliable treatment system for domestic sewage requiring minimal energy and supervision”, the note contends. The installation of the system took place in village Luna, Taluka Padra, District Vadodara, Gujarat, in the presence of Gujarat Pollution Control Board Member Secretary DM Thaker, Regional Director Prasoon Gargava, and prominent environmentalist Rohit Prajapati.

Text:

The status of treatment of sewage in our country is dismal. Estimated Sewage generation in India is 72,368 MLD. Total capacity of installed and operational STPs in our country is about 26,869 MLD, which is 37.1% of total sewage generated. This means that ~63% of sewage generated in India does not have any system for its treatment and hence disposed untreated. Out of the operational STPs, less than 40% achieve the prescribed norms for the discharge of treated sewage. (Source: National Inventory of Sewage Treatment Plants, CPCB, March 2021)
No reliable and technically appropriate systems exist for the collection and treatment of domestic sewage in rural areas. Raw domestic sewage in most of the villages flows in open channels and ultimately ends up in a nearby pond or river. This causes significant deterioration of water quality which, renders these water sources unfit for any use. 
Treatment of sewage is not very challenging. Sewage contains easily biodegradable organic matter that can be removed in a biological treatment system. 
Dr Upendra Patel
Modern treatment systems such as Activated Sludge Process, Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket, Sequential Batch Reactors, etc. can efficiently treat large volumes of domestic sewage to the required disposal norms. However, substantial power consumption, high installation and operating cost, and necessity of skilled operators are the main deterrents to application of such systems at rural level.
A Sewage Treatment System suitable for rural areas must: (1) be easy to install and expand, (2) have low cost of installation and operation, (3) be reliable and efficient and (4) require minimal skilled supervision.

Introduction of Technology

The Unconventional Decentralized Multi-Stage Reactor (UDMSR) is based on the principle of attached growth. It consists of multiple segments filled with a light-weight but highly porous medium such as polyurethane cubes. A specific microbial film is grown over the surface of medium. Domestic sewage after the removal of floating impurities and grit is fed at the top of the reactor. During this downward motion of wastewater, organic matter is removed by the microbes immobilized on medium. No mechanical/electrical energy is required to supply oxygen. The treated effluent can be used for irrigation or groundwater recharge. 
This technology is developed by Dr. Upendra D. Patel engaged as a Professor at the Civil Engineering Department, Faculty of Technology and Engineering, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. He is a PhD in Environmental Science and Engineering from The Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. He has been researching on this technology for the last 10 years. 
The UDMSR can be reliably used for the treatment of domestic sewage in rural areas. The design of UDMSR is modular and each individual segment can be removed for cleaning/maintenance. Thus, the operation and maintenance of UDMSR do not require any daily computations or analyses, and hence, no skilled labor is required. The only energy requirement lies with the operation of pumps. In areas with scarcity of electricity, solar panels may be installed above the reactor. Thus, UDMSR is a low-cost and reliable treatment system for domestic sewage requiring minimal energy and supervision.
It is advantageous to use UDMSR in a decentralized manner by providing different systems at different locations (serving a part of population) rather than collecting all sewage at one place through a huge network of sewers.

Installation and Operation cost of UDMSR system

The exact installation cost of the pilot plant is yet to be derived; however, the cost of installation will vary from Rs. 35,000 to Rs. 40,000 per KLD exclusive of land cost and land preparation cost. The cost of operation will vary from Rs. 300 to 400 per KLD per month for electricity (i.e. Rs 7,500 to Rs. 10,000 per month), and Rs. 15,000 per month towards the operator’s salary, excluding the maintenance costs of pumps and other equipment. 

25 KLD UDMSR system installed at Village Luna, Ta. Padra, Di. Vadodara, Gujarat

The pilot-scale UDMSR system set up in the village Luna is designed to treat 25 KLD of sewage servicing a population of about 400-500 persons. The design of UDMSR is modular in nature, i.e. it can be modified easily to accommodate more flow in the near future. The plant is running continuously since December 2023 and has since treated about 1.4 million liters of sewage with effluent COD and BOD ranging from 10-20 mg/L and 2-3 mg/L. The plant is also tested at 1.5 and 2 times the design flow capacity and its performance is found to be very consistent.
The system is installed with the financial help from Padra Industries Association and Farmers Action Group. Shri Pravin Rabadiya, Shri R. C. Patel and Shri Jayesh Patel of Padra Industries Association assumed the responsibility of installation of the system. Mr. Sanjay Gohil of Archroma now looks after the day-to-day monitoring of the system. Mr. Bhailal Solanki, a farmer living adjacent to the site is involved in the operation of the system.

Memorandum of Understanding

In a meeting followed by demonstration of the working of lab-scale UDMSR on 26.09.2022 by Dr. Upendra Patel at MSU-Baroda, and several subsequent meetings of Shri Rohit Prajapati of Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti with the Chairperson and Member Secretary of GPCB, it was decided that GPCB will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with MSU-Baroda with Prof. Upendra D. Patel as a nodal officer to disseminate the UDMSR technology. 

Comments

Post a Comment

TRENDING

Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan raises concerns over Jharkhand Adivasis' plight in Assam, BJP policies

By Our Representative  The Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan (Save Democracy Campaign) has issued a pressing call to protect Adivasi rights in Jharkhand, highlighting serious concerns over the treatment of Jharkhandi Adivasis in Assam. During a press conference in Ranchi on November 9, representatives from Assam, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh criticized the current approach of BJP-led governments in these states, arguing it has exacerbated Adivasi struggles for rights, land, and cultural preservation.
Post a Comment
Read more

Promoting love or instilling hate and fear: Why is RSS seeking a meeting with Rahul Gandhi?

By Ram Puniyani*  India's anti-colonial struggle was marked by a diverse range of social movements, one of the most significant being Hindu-Muslim unity and the emergence of a unified Indian identity among people of all religions. The nationalist, anti-colonial movement championed this unity, best embodied by Mahatma Gandhi, who ultimately gave his life for this cause. Gandhi once wrote, “The union that we want is not a patched-up thing but a union of hearts... Swaraj (self-rule) for India must be an impossible dream without an indissoluble union between the Hindus and Muslims of India. It must not be a mere truce... It must be a partnership between equals, each respecting the religion of the other.”
Post a Comment
Read more

Right-arm fast bowler who helped West Indies shape arguably greatest Test team in cricket history

By Harsh Thakor*  Malcolm Marshall redefined what it meant to be a right-arm fast bowler, challenging the traditional laws of biomechanics with his unique skill. As we remember his 25th death anniversary on November 4th, we reflect on the legacy he left behind after his untimely death from colon cancer. For a significant part of his career, Marshall was considered one of the fastest and most formidable bowlers in the world, helping to shape the West Indies into arguably the greatest Test team in cricket history.
Post a Comment
Read more

Andhra team joins Gandhians to protest against 'bulldozer action' in Varanasi

By Rosamma Thomas*  November 1 marked the 52nd day of the 100-day relay fast at the satyagraha site of Rajghat in Varanasi, seeking the restoration of the 12 acres of land to the Sarva Seva Sangh, the Gandhian organization that was evicted from the banks of the river. Twelve buildings were demolished as the site was abruptly taken over by the government after “bulldozer” action in August 2023, even as the matter was pending in court.  
Post a Comment
Read more

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.
59 comments
Read more

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah  The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 
26 comments
Read more

Will Left victory in Sri Lanka deliver economic sovereignty plan, go beyond 'tired' IMF agenda?

By Atul Chandra, Vijay Prashad*  On September 22, 2024, the Sri Lankan election authority announced that Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) alliance won the presidential election. Dissanayake, who has been the leader of the left-wing JVP since 2014, defeated 37 other candidates, including the incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party (UNP) and his closest challenger Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya. 
1 comment
Read more

Will Bangladesh go Egypt way, where military ruler is in power for a decade?

By Vijay Prashad*  The day after former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka, I was on the phone with a friend who had spent some time on the streets that day. He told me about the atmosphere in Dhaka, how people with little previous political experience had joined in the large protests alongside the students—who seemed to be leading the agitation. I asked him about the political infrastructure of the students and about their political orientation. He said that the protests seemed well-organized and that the students had escalated their demands from an end to certain quotas for government jobs to an end to the government of Sheikh Hasina. Even hours before she left the country, it did not seem that this would be the outcome.
Post a Comment
Read more

A Marxist intellectual who dwelt into complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape

By Harsh Thakor*  Professor Manoranjan Mohanty has been a dedicated advocate for human rights over five decades. His work as a scholar and activist has supported revolutionary democratic movements, navigating complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape. His balanced, non-partisan approach to human rights and social justice has made his books essential resources for advocates of democracy.
Post a Comment
Read more

Tributes paid to pioneer of Naxalism in Punjab, who 'dodged' police for 60 yrs

By Harsh Thakor*  Jagjit Singh Sohal, known as Comrade Sharma, a pioneer of Naxalism in Punjab, passed away on October 20 at the age of 96. Committed to the Naxalite cause and a prominent Maoist leader, Sohal, who succeeded Charu Majumdar, played hide and seek with the police for almost six decades. He was cremated in Patiala.
Post a Comment
Read more