30-year blueprint aims to keep Betwa clean till 2053:Plan targets pollution-free river; wastewater from every drain to be treated

To make the Betwa River clean and pollution-free, the government is preparing a long-term plan. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for this project will not only be based on current needs but will also consider the estimated population, sewage, and urban expansion up to the year 2053. The objective is that despite the growing population in the coming years, the river remains clean and there is no need to create new projects repeatedly. The entire system will be built keeping the future in mind In the DPR, the capacity of sewer lines, pumping stations, Sewage Treatment Plants (STP), and interception networks will be determined according to future needs. Additionally, extra capacity will be kept in the system so that the arrangement is not affected even if the population increases further. Dirty water will be stopped before it falls into the river The most important part of the project will be to identify all the drains that meet the Betwa river. Before falling into the river, the dirty water from these drains will be stopped and transported to the STP through a pipeline, where it will be treated. Pumping stations will be built where water cannot be transported by pipeline. There will also be a separate arrangement for draining excess water during the rainy season, so that the pressure on the treatment plant does not increase. Mandideep and Vidisha are the biggest sources of pollution The presentation stated that the Betwa river is receiving the most pollution from Mandideep and Vidisha. In Mandideep, domestic sewage, industrial wastewater, and water from open drains are directly reaching the river. There is no Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) here yet. The dirty water from Vidisha’s three major drains is also being discharged directly into the river without treatment. The backwash water from the Kolar water treatment plant and water hyacinth are also degrading the river’s quality. Monitoring will be done for 15 years The project will include not only construction but also operation and maintenance for 15 years. For this, modern SCADA and Online Monitoring Systems (OCEMS) will be installed, which will continuously monitor water quality and the functioning of STPs. Any malfunction will be detected immediately. Scientific study of every stage Before preparing the DPR, various types of surveys will be conducted. These include Focus will be on river conservation The objective of this project is not just to carry out construction work, but to keep the Betwa river clean and safe for a long time. The plan will focus on four things The government’s goal is that through this scheme, the water quality of the Betwa river remains improved until 2053 and clean water is available to the people.