With the pumping of raw water from Cauvery basin restricted to 19 thousand million cubic (TMC) feet per year according to Cauvery Water Tribunal agreement, the usage of treated water for drinking purpose will soon become a reality in Bangalore. This may sound a new technology, but it is being followed in Singapore.
Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE), and Singapore’s Temasek Foundation partnering, for a new programme designed to share Singapore’s experience in the planning and design of recycle and reuse of sewage/waste water.
According to the MoU, experts from Singapore will train BWSSB engineers to develop and implement alternative sources of water through recycle and reuse methods for one year at a cost of Rs 3.75 crore which will be borne in the ratio of 74:26 between the SCE and the BWSSB. Also, the board officials will get assistance in developing strategies to create public awareness and acceptance of recycled and reuse waste water.
The agreement was signed by BWSSB Chairman Gaurav Gupta and CEO of SCE Kong Wy Mun in the presence of Amita Prasad, Principal Secretary, Urban Development Department and Kaushik Mukherjee, Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner.
Addressing reporters, Gupta said, “In the partnership, we will explore on the possibility of treating the sewage/waste water to the potable standard (called NEWater). The quality of NEWater exceeds the requirement of drinking water standard set by WHO.”
“Along with the Singapore experts, we will explore on the optimal mix of the NEWater to the raw water sources here, as there is psychological barrier among the people on consuming NEWater directly,” Gupta added.
He also said that with expertise from Singapore, the board is planning to increase the supply of tertiary treated water to Devanahalli IT Investment Region. At present BWSSB is supplying 10 million litres of tertiary treated water a day to BIAL, railways and others, Gupta said.
Mentioning that this partnership marks the beginning of Singapore’s cooperation with Bangalore, Kong Wy Mun said, “By 2020, the demand for water in Bangalore will raise to 1,940 million litres a day. We hope that the programme will benefit the officials of BWSSB in its efforts to plan and implement the recycle and reuse of waste water.”
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