PIONEER NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan (UJS) has clarified that the sewage generated during the Kanwad Yatra will be disposed of at the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), rather than at any undesignated locations. The Haridwar Superintending Engineer (SE) Yashbir Mall said this while informing about the preparations and sewage waste management for the Kanwad Yatra.
It was alleged during Kanwad Yatra last year that sewage waste was being disposed of in undesignated areas near the Ganga and elsewhere. However, Mall explained that elaborate preparations have been made along the Yatra route- the Kanwad Patri. He assured that no sewage waste is being disposed of at any undesignated location as all necessary arrangements have been made. For the Kanwad Yatra which began on Friday, municipal bodies and the district Panchayat have installed mobile toilets along the route.
The UJS has arranged about 48 suction vehicles to collect sewage from these toilets and transport it to the STP. He further clarified that the suction vehicles will not discharge waste directly into the STP; instead, they will dispose of it in a nearby chamber connected to the STP. From this chamber, the waste will be directed into the STP for treatment. Currently, there are three STPs operated by UJS in Haridwar, along with two managed by Peyjal Nigam while one is located in Roorkee.
Mall also said that the main chambers for sewage disposal have already been identified and 25 supervisors have been posted for the suction vehicles.
He emphasised that additional preparations have been made for the Kanwad Yatra. For the water supply system during the Yatra, 52 Syntax tanks have been installed, with private tankers deployed from other districts, including Pauri, Dehradun and others, to refill them. In addition, an average of 60 Tank Type Stand Posts (TTSPs) have been established along the Yatra route. The relevant officials have been assigned to monitor the overall operations, he added.
