Thane civic body makes it mandatory for every new housing society to have its own water recycling plant
[The municipal corporation has proposed to ensure all fresh housing proposals with a collective built-up area of 20,000 sq feet or 2,000sqm to develop their private Sewage Treatment Plant (STP).]
Water crisis in lake city may soon come to an end, as the Thane Municipal Corporation is planning to implement a new rule under which all the new small housing projects like the ones coming up in parts of the old city, Kalwa or Mumbra would boast of an independent water treatment and recycling plants. The municipal corporation has proposed to ensure all fresh housing proposals with a collective built-up area of 20,000 sq feet or 2,000sqm to develop their private Sewage Treatment Plant (STP).
As per the proposal that will be tabled before the civic general body on Monday, the administration is aiming towards effective water management by ensuring waste water is treated and reused thereby conserving the costly piped drinking water provided by the civic administration. A proposal for amendment to the development control rules under section 37 (1) of the Maharashtra Regional Town Planning Act has been initiated by the TMC, informs a senior official.
Simply put, all medium size housing projects where open space is less will have to adhere to this rule. For example, a project with say 30 flats of 700 sq feet each is being developed on any open plot in Naupada or Khopat, the builder will have to make provisions for the STP in the premises in addition to the adequate parking space.
Presently, it is mandatory for all housing complexes with area of over 40,000sqfeet to facilitate the treatment plant in its premises but now the administration has proposed to include small size projects also.
“The revision is aimed at effective waste water recycle, reuse and to conserve the piped drinking water. We had sought suggestions and objections from residents and have now brought up the proposal for approval of the general body,” says a senior officer.
Officials say the proposed amendment to build smaller STPs would help to deal with the waste water treatment at the source rather than channel the waste water to the centralized STP, which is a cost prohibitive model. The city generates around 300mld sewage water of which the Kopri STP treats just 40mld sewage water while the one Mumbra treats another 9mld daily. The rest of the sewer water is dumped in the creek blatantly via nullahs.
Further, the administration has managed to link just 25% of the city households to the sewage disposal system while a major part including the plush highrises along the Ghodbunder Road depend on either septic tanks or private treatment plants that were made mandatory since 2006.
A survey done by the civic administration last year revealed nearly 75% households staying within its limits lacked basic sewerage disposal facility, said the study.
Experts and citizen activists, however, said implementing the proposed plan would unnecesarily strain smaller housing societies that will see an increase in maintainence costs. “There is no clarity on the quality of the system that has to be introduced. Developers may use substandard units ending up straining the users who will have to bear the maintenance costs lifelong. Even if a developer uses quality infrastructure, he will pass it on the consumer only,” said an expert.
“The city with a population of over 18 lakhs is yet to get its sewage and waste management system in place. Just two of the six STPs are funtional today while the work on the rest is in progress,” questioned an activist.
A senior civic official said the network of laying underground lines was going on along with setting up micro-sewage waste management plants in the city that would purify all the waste otherwise discharged in the creeks.
Courtesy: TOI
Water crisis in lake city may soon come to an end, as the Thane Municipal Corporation is planning to implement a new rule under which all the new small housing projects like the ones coming up in parts of the old city, Kalwa or Mumbra would boast of an independent water treatment and recycling plants. The municipal corporation has proposed to ensure all fresh housing proposals with a collective built-up area of 20,000 sq feet or 2,000sqm to develop their private Sewage Treatment Plant (STP).
As per the proposal that will be tabled before the civic general body on Monday, the administration is aiming towards effective water management by ensuring waste water is treated and reused thereby conserving the costly piped drinking water provided by the civic administration. A proposal for amendment to the development control rules under section 37 (1) of the Maharashtra Regional Town Planning Act has been initiated by the TMC, informs a senior official.
Simply put, all medium size housing projects where open space is less will have to adhere to this rule. For example, a project with say 30 flats of 700 sq feet each is being developed on any open plot in Naupada or Khopat, the builder will have to make provisions for the STP in the premises in addition to the adequate parking space.
Presently, it is mandatory for all housing complexes with area of over 40,000sqfeet to facilitate the treatment plant in its premises but now the administration has proposed to include small size projects also.
“The revision is aimed at effective waste water recycle, reuse and to conserve the piped drinking water. We had sought suggestions and objections from residents and have now brought up the proposal for approval of the general body,” says a senior officer.
Officials say the proposed amendment to build smaller STPs would help to deal with the waste water treatment at the source rather than channel the waste water to the centralized STP, which is a cost prohibitive model. The city generates around 300mld sewage water of which the Kopri STP treats just 40mld sewage water while the one Mumbra treats another 9mld daily. The rest of the sewer water is dumped in the creek blatantly via nullahs.
Further, the administration has managed to link just 25% of the city households to the sewage disposal system while a major part including the plush highrises along the Ghodbunder Road depend on either septic tanks or private treatment plants that were made mandatory since 2006.
A survey done by the civic administration last year revealed nearly 75% households staying within its limits lacked basic sewerage disposal facility, said the study.
Experts and citizen activists, however, said implementing the proposed plan would unnecesarily strain smaller housing societies that will see an increase in maintainence costs. “There is no clarity on the quality of the system that has to be introduced. Developers may use substandard units ending up straining the users who will have to bear the maintenance costs lifelong. Even if a developer uses quality infrastructure, he will pass it on the consumer only,” said an expert.
“The city with a population of over 18 lakhs is yet to get its sewage and waste management system in place. Just two of the six STPs are funtional today while the work on the rest is in progress,” questioned an activist.
A senior civic official said the network of laying underground lines was going on along with setting up micro-sewage waste management plants in the city that would purify all the waste otherwise discharged in the creeks.
Courtesy: TOI
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